The court is examining two cases. One involves the former state minister of the self-proclaimed republic, Ruben Vardanyan. The second case includes a total of 15 individuals, among whom is the head of the former separatist region, Araik Harutyunyan.
Vardanyan was detained on September 27, 2023, at the border with Armenia while attempting to leave Karabakh, a territory that has returned under the control of Azerbaijan following a military operation.
Baku accuses Vardanyan of several charges, including financing terrorism and participating in the creation of illegal armed formations. The former state minister denies the allegations.
Since his arrest, Vardanyan has repeatedly complained about the conditions of his detention. A day before the court hearing, a message appeared on the accused's social media alleging pressure on him, his lawyers, and his translator from the investigators.
The Azerbaijani side claims that Vardanyan's procedural rights, including legal defense and the use of the language he speaks, have been ensured.
At the hearing on January 17, Vardanyan's defense filed two motions: one concerning the consolidation of Vardanyan's case with that of other defendants, and the other requesting additional time to review the case materials. The court rejected the first motion but granted the second, allowing the defendant an additional 10 days. The next hearing in Vardanyan's case is scheduled for January 27.
In the consolidated case involving 15 leaders of the former Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the court is reviewing more than two thousand incidents. The defendants are accused of committing acts of aggression, war crimes, including genocide, population deportation, and torture.
The court hearings involve more than 350 victims and their representatives. In total, over 500,000 people are listed as victims in the case.
During the session, Araik Harutyunyan made a statement expressing regret for his comments made during the 44-day war in 2020 regarding his decision to shell the Azerbaijani city of Ganja. The former leader of the self-proclaimed republic apologized to the Azerbaijani people and stated that he did not make such a decision. "I explained why I made that statement at the time in my testimony during the investigation," Harutyunyan said.
The Azerbaijani service of Radio Free Europe notes that only journalists from state media were allowed to the preliminary hearings on January 17, despite earlier announcements that the proceedings would be public.
The Armenian side has not commented on the ongoing process concerning the former leaders of the self-proclaimed republic.
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