Baku, September 9, 2025 – The Europe Today: On September 8, the Baku Military Court held an open hearing on the criminal cases of several Armenian citizens, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, and Levon Mnatsakanyan. They are charged with crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, genocide, terrorism, the forcible seizure of power, and other grave offences stemming from Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan.
The session, chaired by Judge Zeynal Agayev with judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samadova), ensured that the accused were provided with defense lawyers and translators of their choice. The proceedings were attended by the defendants, their counsel, victims, their representatives, and state prosecutors.
The hearing continued with the examination of documentary evidence. Among the materials presented was a record of the February 22, 1988, shelling of a car carrying Azerbaijani civilians, as well as testimonies from victims describing threats, forced displacement, and the destruction of homes in Khankendi in 1988. Additional evidence included records of mass riots in Shusha, Khankendi, and Khojaly; the burning of Azerbaijani homes; armed attacks on villages; bombings of infrastructure; and the discovery of weapons and explosives in Armenian-controlled areas.
Witness testimony highlighted the role of Armenian officials and members of organizations such as “Krunk” in inciting hostility, organizing rallies, and calling for the expulsion of Azerbaijanis. Notably, Robert Kocharyan and other former Armenian leaders were named as instigators of violence and persecution.
The court also reviewed evidence of the bombing of a bridge on the Khankendi–Shusha highway in 1989, the attack on an Ikarus bus in 1990, armed assaults on villages including Todan, hostage-taking incidents, torture, and killings of Azerbaijani civilians.
Photographs related to attacks on Gazakh district’s Baghanis Ayrim village were shown, complementing previous testimonies and documents already presented in court.
The trial, which implicates fifteen defendants of Armenian origin, covers a wide range of crimes under Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, including the planning and waging of aggressive war, genocide, deportation, enforced disappearance, torture, terrorism, and the forcible seizure of power. The indictment also names former Armenian officials, including Robert Kocharyan, Serzh Sargsyan, Vazgen Manukyan, and Seyran Ohanyan, as responsible for directing and supporting these crimes.
The hearing will resume on September 11.
