On January 17, the Baku Military Court will commence proceedings against the leaders of the former occupation junta established by Armenia in Khankendi. Experts predict that the central figures of this trial will be Araik Harutyunyan, the former leader of the junta, and Ruben Vardanyan, a Kremlin-linked oligarch who served as the “state minister” within the junta.
The charges are extremely serious. Araik Harutyunyan and other “members of the Nagorno-Karabakh government” face accusations under numerous articles of the Azerbaijani Criminal Code, including:
- Article 100 (planning, preparation, initiation, or conduct of aggressive war),
- Article 102 (attacks on individuals and organizations under international protection),
- Article 103 (genocide),
- Article 105 (population destruction),
- Article 106 (slavery),
- Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement),
- Article 109 (persecution),
- Article 110 (enforced disappearance),
- Article 112 (unlawful deprivation of liberty),
- Article 113 (torture),
- Article 114 (mercenarism),
- Article 115 (violations of the laws and customs of war),
- Article 116 (breach of international humanitarian law during armed conflict),
- Article 118 (war plunder),
- Article 120 (premeditated murder),
- Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship),
- Article 214 (terrorism),
- Article 214-1 (terrorism financing),
- Article 218 (organization of a criminal community),
- Article 228 (illegal acquisition, storage, and transportation of weapons),
- Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security),
- Article 277 (assassination of state or public figures),
- Article 278 (violent seizure or retention of power),
- Article 279 (creation of illegal armed formations), and others.
Among these, Ruben Vardanyan is set to be a pivotal figure. He faces charges under many of the same articles, including planning aggressive war, deportation, persecution, terrorism, financing terrorism, and violations of international humanitarian law.
This trial, which some have dubbed the “Azerbaijani Nuremberg Trials,” is a historic precedent. It is being conducted following Azerbaijan’s victory in Karabakh under the leadership of President and Supreme Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev, which restored the country’s territorial integrity and sovereignty. The arrest of these individuals, including Ruben Vardanyan and Araik Harutyunyan, was made possible through Aliyev’s policies.
For the first time in the post-Soviet space, individuals accused of inciting aggressive war, ethnic cleansing, and terrorism are being held accountable, including the leaders of an unlawful junta. Azerbaijan is setting a historical example. The trial is expected to reveal numerous details about crimes committed against the country and its people.
Given that the ethnic cleansing of Azerbaijanis and territorial occupation were carried out directly by Armenia’s Armed Forces, and that the junta and military structures in occupied territories were financed and controlled by Armenia itself, a key aspect of these proceedings will likely be holding the Armenian state accountable.
