Trial continues at Baku Military Court over crimes committed by Armenian citizens

By Qabil Ashirov

On November 13, the Baku Military Court continued proceedings in the criminal case involving citizens of the Republic of Armenia, with the prosecution presenting its closing arguments.

According to Azernews, the prosecution outlined the legal assessment of the alleged acts under the charges during its statement in court.

Prosecutors emphasised that United Nations Security Council Resolutions 822, 853, 874, and 884 confirmed that Armenia’s military aggression resulted in the occupation of Azerbaijan’s sovereign territories, constituting an aggressive war against Azerbaijan.

The prosecution noted that Armenia’s acts of aggression persisted even during periods when active military operations were nominally paused. Throughout the course of the war, repeated violations of ceasefires targeted members of Azerbaijan’s Armed Forces, civilians, civilian property, and state infrastructure. Religious, educational, scientific, and medical facilities, locations housing the sick and wounded, as well as strategically important assets, including the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline, were subjected to attacks.

The prosecutors further asserted that the systematic nature of torture and its widespread application demonstrated that such acts reflected official Armenian state policy.

The court was reminded that the Geneva Conventions, Additional Protocol I, criminalise the transfer of an occupier’s own population into occupied territories. During the investigation, the accused, Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Gukasyan, and Bako Sahakyan, admitted in their statements that people were relocated from Armenia to Azerbaijan’s occupied regions, particularly the Lachin District. These claims were corroborated by letters, Armenian sources, and information available in public online databases.

The trial continues against Armenian citizens accused of peace and humanity crimes, war crimes, preparation and execution of an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing of terrorism, seizing power by force, maintaining power by force, and numerous other crimes resulting from Armenia’s military aggression.