Baku: The court hearing scheduled for December 30 in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben Vardanyan, accused of numerous serious offenses under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has been postponed indefinitely, APA reports. Vardanyan faces charges related to crimes against peace and humanity, as well as terrorism and other grave offenses.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the postponement is due to the ongoing deliberation by the judicial panel in a separate case involving 15 Armenian citizens. The panel is presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev and includes judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov, with reserve judge Gunel Samadova. The next hearing in Vardanyan's case will occur after the panel concludes its deliberations.
Ruben Vardanyan is charged under various articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code. These include Articles 100.1 and 100.2 concerning the planning and waging of a war of aggression, Article 107 on deportation and forced displacement, and Article 109 on persecution. Additional charges include Articles 110, 112, and 113 related to forcible disappearance, deprivation of liberty, and torture, respectively.
Further charges under Article 114.1 pertain to mercenary activity, and Article 115.2 to violations of warfare laws and customs. Vardanyan also faces charges under Articles 116.0.1 through 116.0.18 for breaches of international humanitarian law during armed conflict, and Articles 120.2.1 to 120.2.12 for intentional murder and attempted murder.
Additional allegations include Article 192.3.1 for illegal entrepreneurship, Articles 214.2.1 to 214.2.4 for terrorism, and Article 214-1 for financing terrorism. Other charges involve Articles 218.1 and 218.2 for creating a criminal group, Article 228.3 for illegal firearms activities, Articles 270-1.2 and 270-1.4 for acts threatening aviation safety, and Articles 278.1 and 279.1 to 279.3 for forcible seizure of power and creation of unlawful armed formations. Lastly, Vardanyan is charged under Article 318.2 for illegal state border crossing.