A criminal case regarding illegal actions committed against Azerbaijan by the self-proclaimed “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” and its illegal armed formations, established in the occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan (AR) with the comprehensive support of the Republic of Armenia and its Armed Forces, has been sent to court, according to a statement from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
According to the statement, the Investigative Department of the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan conducted an investigation into the criminal case concerning acts of aggression against Azerbaijan and its people, occupation, genocide, other crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, terrorism, and the financing of terrorism.
On May 2 of this year, by decision of the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, 1,389 criminal cases investigated by the Prosecutor General’s Office and various investigative bodies of the republic concerning crimes committed between October 1987 and April 22, 2024, were consolidated into a single proceeding. The investigation was conducted by the State Security Service, Ministry of Internal Affairs, State Customs Committee, and the Military Prosecutor’s Office under the guidance of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
A total of 15 individuals were charged with 2,548 episodes of crimes: Arkady Ghukasyan, Arayik Harutyunyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, Davit Babayan, Leva Mnatsakanyan, Davit Manukyan, Garik Martirosyan, Melikset Pashayan, Davit Allahverdyan, Gurgen Stepanyan, Levon Balayan, Madat Babayan, Vasily Beglaryan, and Erik Ghazaryan. They were provided with protection, interpreters, attorneys, and other procedural rights.
Petitions and complaints filed by the accused during and after the preliminary investigation were reviewed in accordance with criminal procedural law, appropriate decisions were made, and the accused and other participants in the criminal process were informed about the conclusion of the preliminary investigation and familiarized with all case materials.
The criminal case against other individuals accused of numerous crimes was separated into a different proceeding, and the preliminary investigation is ongoing. The indictment for the criminal case was approved by the Prosecutor General on December 16, 2024, and forwarded to the Baku Military Court for consideration.
Given substantial grounds that many individuals suspected in the criminal case, as well as witnesses, are located in Armenia, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Azerbaijan invites the relevant authorities of Armenia to cooperate.
