Baku: The hearing of the open court session in the criminal cases against citizens of the Republic of Armenia - Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Gukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others - accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, and other serious offenses, continued as defendants delivered their final statements.
According to Azerbaijan State News Agency, the court hearing at the Baku Military Court was conducted under the chairmanship of Judge Zeynal Agayev, with judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev, and reserve judge Gunel Samedova. The defendants were provided with interpreters in a language they understand, along with defense lawyers. The hearing was attended by the defendants, their defense counsels, some of the victims, their legal successors and representatives, as well as prosecutors representing the state prosecution.
Presiding Judge Agayev announced that the court hearing was continuing with the defendants' final statements. Defendant Levon Mnatsakanyan expressed his disagreement with the charges brought against him, stating, "I do not consider myself guilty of any of the charges brought against me." Mnatsakanyan retracted statements he made during the preliminary investigation and requested the court to consider only his trial statements. He submitted a 51-page text of his statement for court records.
Next, defendant Arkadi Gukasyan delivered his final statement, thanking his lawyers for their principled defense and countering the prosecution's evidence. Gukasyan challenged the portrayal of his work at the 'Soviet Karabakh' newspaper as a crime and emphasized his role as a deputy editor. He stated that he left politics in 2007 and contested the charges against him.
Defendant Bako Sahakyan also addressed the court, expressing gratitude to his defense counsel for their professionalism. He refuted the prosecution's depiction of the defendants as a criminal organization and acknowledged his participation in the occupation of Shusha, while denying criminal intent.
The court proceedings will continue, with fifteen Armenian-origin defendants facing charges related to crimes committed during the Armenian state's aggressive war against Azerbaijan. The charges, under the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, include waging a war of aggression, genocide, terrorism, and numerous other offenses. These acts were allegedly conducted under the leadership and participation of Armenian state officials and military personnel.
The defendants, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Gukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and others, face accusations under various articles of Azerbaijan's Criminal Code, encompassing war crimes, terrorism, and illegal activities during the military aggression against Azerbaijan.