Baku, July 29, 2025 – The Europe Today: On July 28, the Baku Military Court resumed open hearings in the high-profile criminal case against several citizens of the Republic of Armenia, including former de facto leaders Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others. They face grave charges including crimes against peace and humanity, genocide, war crimes, terrorism, and forcible seizure and retention of power stemming from Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan.
The proceedings, presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev with Judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (Reserve Judge Gunel Samadova), ensured legal safeguards such as interpreters and defense counsel for each accused. The session was attended by the defendants, legal representatives, victims, their representatives, and state prosecutors.
Judge Aghayev introduced the judicial panel and explained the procedural rights and obligations to new participants.
The court heard extensive witness testimonies from victims of the Armenian aggression, including civilians and former detainees, who recounted harrowing experiences of injury, captivity, and displacement during armed hostilities and occupation of Azerbaijani territories.
Victim Tahir Mahmudov described sustaining severe injuries from a mine explosion in Khojaly in 2021. Jumshud Gahramanov and Hilal Haziyev testified about shelling in Jojug Marjanli during the 2020 Patriotic War, resulting in injuries and property damage. Guloglan Mirzaliyev, Ramil Farhadov, Elnur Amiraslanov, and others detailed injuries from artillery, mines, and gunfire.
Several victims, such as Bakhtiyar Mammadov, Amin Musayev, Bekir Karimov, and Sahib Baghirov, gave detailed accounts of torture and inhumane treatment during captivity in Armenia. Musayev described being wounded during combat, later captured, and subjected to degrading medical mistreatment and abuse during detention in Yerevan.
Others, including Kamil Huseynov, Mirhasan Huseynov, and Khayal Mammadov, testified about serious injuries sustained in active combat zones, while civilians like Fuad Gurbanli and Sari Bakhishov spoke of missile attacks and displacement from their homes.
The court also reviewed responses from the defendants to some of the testimonies, particularly from David Babayan, who questioned victim Musayev about the timeline of his capture. Musayev confirmed that most of his comrades were killed, and those surviving had assumed he had also died.
Fifteen defendants of Armenian origin currently stand accused of committing multiple violations of international humanitarian and criminal law, with charges spanning a wide range of articles under the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, including:
- Article 100 (waging a war of aggression)
- Article 103 (genocide)
- Article 105 (extermination)
- Article 107 (forced displacement)
- Article 113 (torture)
- Article 214 (terrorism)
- Article 214-1 (financing terrorism)
- Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization)
- Article 278 (forcible seizure of power)
- Article 279 (creation of illegal armed groups), among others.
These actions were allegedly carried out with the direct leadership, coordination, and support of prominent former Armenian officials and commanders, including Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, Vazgen Manukyan, Vitali Balasanyan, Monte Melkonyan, and others.
The hearing will resume on July 31, as the court continues to examine evidence and testimonies regarding the systematic crimes committed during the decades-long conflict, particularly during the 2020 44-day Patriotic War and earlier hostilities, which led to significant civilian suffering and territorial occupation.
