Baku: Prosecutors have requested life imprisonment for Arayik Harutyunyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, David Manukyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, and David Babayan, amid ongoing court proceedings in Baku concerning crimes against peace and humanity related to Armenia’s military actions against Azerbaijan.
According to Azeri-Press News Agency, the open court session, chaired by Judge Zeynal Agayev at the Baku Military Court, involves multiple Armenian citizens accused of severe crimes, including war crimes, genocide, and terrorism. The session included interpreters and defense lawyers for the accused, with victims and their representatives also in attendance. Prosecutors presented closing statements, highlighting UN Security Council Resolutions that confirm Azerbaijan’s territorial sovereignty and Armenia’s aggression.
Assistant to the Prosecutor General Tughay Rahimli emphasized Armenia’s unceasing aggressive war against Azerbaijan and the systematic violations of ceasefires by Armenian forces. He detailed the targeting of Azerbaijani civilians and infrastructure, including strategic locations such as the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, during the conflict. Evidence presented in court supported claims of torture and population transfers from Armenia to occupied Azerbaijani regions, further substantiated by statements from accused individuals and information from Armenian sources.
Prosecutors Vusal Aliyev and Nasir Bayramov outlined proposed sentences, including life imprisonment for several defendants, citing crimes such as planning and conducting aggressive war, genocide, and terrorism. They also proposed sentence reductions for some due to age-related legal restrictions. The prosecution requested that preventive measures for the accused remain unchanged until the verdict is finalized.
The court heard from victim representatives who supported the prosecution’s proposals, affirming the charges with evidence from a year-long investigation, including witness testimonies and expert opinions. The trial, involving 15 Armenian-origin defendants, continues on November 27, with allegations of crimes committed under the direction of Armenian officials and military leaders during the aggressive war against Azerbaijan.