Back to news
Armenia's political-military leaders ordered Azerbaijan's Ganja bombing - court declares
@Source: trend.az
BAKU, Azerbaijan, May 31. The open court
session continued on May 30 at the Baku Military Court in the
criminal case against Armenian citizens Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi
Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon
Mnatsakanyan, and others. They stand accused of crimes against
peace and humanity, including war crimes, preparing and waging
aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of
war, terrorism, financing terrorism, forcible seizure and retention
of power, and other grave offenses arising from Armenia’s military
aggression against Azerbaijan, Trend reports.
The court session, presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with
Judges Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (alternate judge Gunel
Samadova), ensured that each defendant had legal representation and
interpretation in their native language.
The session was attended by the accused, their lawyers, several
victims and their legal successors and representatives, as well as
state prosecutors.
At the beginning, Judge Zeynal Aghayev introduced the court
staff and interpreters and explained the legal rights and
obligations to the victims who were participating in the court
proceedings for the first time.
Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev began
investigating the expert opinions from the scene inspection and
other protocols regarding the aggressive war waged by Armenia in
July 2020, during the period conventionally called the "Tovuz
battles", including the shelling of civilian areas by the Armenian
armed forces, the killing of civilians and military personnel, and
damage to civilian property.
It was stated that as a result of the aggressive war waged
against the Republic of Azerbaijan, on July 12-16, 17, 24 and 25,
2020, in the next stage of the aggressive war, which was made with
a single intention, they deliberately killed a civilian in the
village of Aghdam of Tovuz district, by opening fire from
large-caliber weapons and other firearms not identified by the
investigation, and continued the aggressive war by causing
particularly severe damage to private homes and farms belonging to
dozens of civilians in the villages of Aghdam, Dondar Gushchu,
Alibayli, Yukhari Oysuzlu, Vahidli, Ashaghi Oysuzlu of Tovuz
district and the village of Khanliglar of Gazakh district.
According to the investigated documents, the aggressive war
waged against the Republic of Azerbaijan left casualties and
injured in the Aghdam village of Tovuz district.
Subsequently, the hearing heard testimonies of the individuals,
known as the victims of the 44-day War occurred in 2020.
Victim Elchin Shirinov testified that he was hit and injured by
the “Smerch” missile fired by the Armenian armed forces while
driving “VAZ 21074” vehicle through Barda city on October 28 at
about 13 p.m.
The victim added that he had sustained life-threatening shrapnel
“Barda came under intensive “Smerch” missile attacks, resulting
in multiple casualties and injured,” he said.
While addressing inquiries from Tarana Mammadova, a prosecutor
in the Public Prosecution Department in the district courts of
Baku, E.Shirinov noted that there was no military facility on the
Victim Faig Karimov stated that on October 28, 2020, while he
was cleaning the road near the office, where he worked during the
day, a rocket shell landed approximately 40-50 meters away from
The shrapnel from the shell was scattered all around. He
immediately fell to the ground, but some of the shrapnel that was
scattered around injured his right arm, right eye, and head.
“I have lost my eye, sustained injuries to other parts of my
body, and have become a disabled as a result,” he noted, while
responding to a question from state prosecutor Fuad Musayev. Victim
Shukur Karimli said that on October 27, 2020, at around 4 p.m., he
heard an explosion while in his house, in the village of
Garayusifli of Barda district, and went outside. While going
outside, he witnessed a shell fall on a private residential house
belonging to Ehtiram Ismayilov, who lived in the neighborhood. As
he tried to enter the house, a total of 4 shells fell on and around
the house where they lived. When the shell fell on the house where
they lived, he was injured in the right thigh and right back, and
his sister Elnura Karimova was injured in the right thigh. “During
the incident, 60-70 fragments fell around,” he added.
Victim Rasim Yakhin testified that he was involved in the 44-day
war in 2020 as a serviceman, and joined the battles in Jabrayil,
Fuzuli, Khojavend, Shusha and other areas. He stated that he was
injured by a tank shell in Shusha on the night of November 6-7,
2020. “As a result, I have lost my left wrist, left eye and have
shrapnel injuries,” he added.
In his testimony, victim Tural Tavakkuloglu noted he was injured
in a projectile explosion fired at them in the direction of
Dashkasan-Kalbajar during the 44-day war in 2020.
Responding to the question from the defense, T.Tavakkuloglu said
that they were subjected to fire from both Kalbajar and
Victim Bakhtiyar Kazimov said he was fighting on multiple fronts
on October 10, 2020. He noted that he was injured in artillery fire
in the area called the “farm”, located in the vicinity of Shusha,
on November 4.
Victim Sarkhan Abbasov, said that he was involved in the 44-day
war, and that from the first day of the war - September 27 - the
Armenian armed forces fired heavy artillery at Azerbaijani
settlements: "At that time, they were firing heavy artillery at the
Toghanali settlement of the Goygol district and the territory of
the Goygol National Park. After that, a counteroffensive was
He also added that he was injured by sniper fire during the
The victim said that while the dead and wounded were being
evacuated from the area, Armenian soldiers opened artillery fire on
the vehicles; despite the fact that they had signs indicating that
they were ambulances.
S.Abbasov stated that he had viewed video footage highlighting
enemy soldiers’ inhumane acts against the bodies of martyred
Azerbaijani servicemen. He noted that Colonel Karen Jalavyan, the
commander of those enemy soldiers, appeared in the footage and that
Jalavyan was later "honored" with the title of "hero" of the
so-called regime by the current accused Arayik Harutyunyan.
Victim Ramiz Aghayev testified that 16 individuals, including
his father, Nuraddin Aghayev, were killed in a missile attack on
his hometown of Ganja on October 17, 2020. He also noted that he,
his family members, and many others sustained injuries during the
Ramiz Aghayev’s son - victim Vugar Aghayev, also testified,
describing the events of October 17, 2020, as horrific and
confirmed that he was wounded during the attack.
Victim Shiraz Hasanov mentioned that he had become an internally
displaced person (IDP) from the village of Garakhanbeyli in the
Fuzuli district at the age of nine. He also said he was involved
and wounded twice in the 44-day war.
In his testimony, another victim Ismayil Mehdiyev noted that on
September 30, 2020, while engaged in household tasks in his home
village of Azad Garagoyunlu, located in the Tartar district, he was
wounded in the left leg by shrapnel from an artillery shell. He
underlined that there were no military units stationed in the area
at the time of the incident.
Victim Mais Mirzayev underscored that he was involved in the
44-day war in 2020, fighting in multiple directions. He was injured
in the Hadrut direction in October, further adding that “The enemy
was using heavy artillery, including mortars, particularly in the
Hadrut area.” In his response to David Manukyan’s question “Who
launched the first attack?” Mirzayev responded: “We have launched a
counteroffensive in response.”
During the court proceedings, the findings of the forensic
medical examinations conducted on the victims were also
Furthermore, with the participation of Nasir Bayramov, Head of
the Department of Public Prosecutions at the Prosecutor General’s
Office, several documents from the criminal case materials related
to the intentional killing of civilians and severe damage to
civilian infrastructure resulting from the missile attacks on Ganja
between October 4 and 18, 2020 were examined.
The documents indicated that under the direct command and verbal
orders of Armenia’s political-military leadership, the 6th Mountain
Motorized Rifle Regiment of the 10th Mountain Motorized Rifle
Division, part of the 1st Combined Arms Army of the Republic of
Armenia, was deployed in the occupied territory of Sugovushan
village in the Aghdara district of the Republic of Azerbaijan
(previously the Sugovushan village of Tartar district), the 42nd
Separate Artillery Regiment in the occupied territory of Ashagi
Oratagh village of Aghdara district (previously Ashagi Oratagh
village of Tartar district), as well as the 62nd separate artillery
regiment was deployed in the occupied territory of Khankendi city.
From October 4 to 18, 2020, the city of Ganja was subjected to
sustained artillery bombardment using 300-millimeter “9M528” and
9K58 fragmentation high-explosive warheads, designed for multiple
rocket launchers (NATO: M1983), as well as “8Ф44” type warheads
manufactured in the Russian Federation. These attacks were launched
using the “9K72” Elbrus operational-tactical missile system (NATO
designation: SS-1c Scud B), which was deployed on the territory of
the Republic of Armenia, along the provisional contact line with
the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Following these coordinated attacks on October 4, 5, 8, 11, and
17, 2020, Armenian forces deliberately killed a total of 26
civilians in Ganja and intentionally wounded 175 others. Fatalities
were minimized through rapid evasive maneuvers, preventive
measures, and efficient medical support. The attacks also resulted
in extensive damage to public infrastructure, as well as to the
personal and commercial property of citizens and organizations.
Among the documents examined were records naming specific
Armenian military personnel responsible for launching missile
strikes on Ganja.
The documents stated that on October 10, 2020, at about 2:00
a.m., the city of Ganja was once again targeted by the orders of
the commander of the 71st military equipment storage base (military
unit No. 51556) of the Armenian armed forces, deployed in the
Stepanavan region of that country, Colonel Artashen Rafiki
Hajatyan, deputy commander Lieutenant Colonel Ara Artushi Sargsyan,
commander of the Elbrus operational-tactical missile system
division Lieutenant Colonel Vazgen Daviti Vardanyan, commander of
the Iskander operational-tactical missile system division
Lieutenant Colonel Tigran Norayri Vardanyan and others, using the
Elbrus operational-tactical missile system, which was in the
reserve of this military unit and possessed greater destructive
power than the weapons used in previous attacks, from the territory
of the Vardenis (historical Basarkechar) Gegharkunik region of
With the deliberate intent to inflict mass civilian casualties
and to target the city of Ganja—where only civilian infrastructure
is located—a missile was intentionally launched at residential
buildings situated in the 4th lane of A. Rafibeyli Street in the
Kapaz district of Ganja.
As a result of the missile's impact and explosion in this
densely populated residential area, 10 civilians were intentionally
killed, 1 civilian sustained serious injuries, 18 civilians
suffered minor injuries, and 32 others were injured to an
undetermined extent.
It was noted that on October 17, 2020, the Elbrus missile system
was deployed to the Khnatsakh district of the Republic of Armenia,
from which two missiles equipped with “8Ф44” warheads were launched
targeting the city of Ganja. The attack deliberately resulted in
the deaths of 15 civilians, serious injuries to two individuals,
moderate injuries to four, minor injuries to 25, and injuries of
varying severity to 48 others.
The next court hearing is scheduled for June 2.
The defendants — Arayik Vladimiri Harutyunyan, Arkadi Arshaviri
Ghukasyan, Bako Sahaki Sahakyan, Davit Rubeni Ishkhanyan, David
Azatini Manukyan, Davit Klimi Babayan, Levon Henrikovich
Mnatsakanyan, Vasili Ivani Beglaryan, Erik Roberti Ghazaryan, Davit
Nelsoni Allahverdiyan, Gurgen Homeri Stepanyan, Levon Romiki
Balayan, Madat Arakelovich Babayan, Garik Grigori Martirosyan, and
Melikset Vladimiri Pashayan — are charged under the following
articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan:
Article 100 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging a war of
aggression); Article 102 (attacking persons or organizations
enjoying international protection); Article 103 (genocide); Article
105 (extermination of the population); Article 106 (enslavement);
Article 107 (deportation or forced displacement of population);
Article 109 (persecution); Article 110 (enforced disappearance of
persons); Article 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to
international law); Article 113 (torture); Article 114 (mercenary
service); Article 115 (violation of the laws and customs of
warfare); Article 116 (violation of international humanitarian law
during armed conflict); Article 118 (military robbery); Article 120
(intentional murder); Article 192 (illegal entrepreneurship);
Article 214 (terrorism); Article 214-1 (financing terrorism);
Article 218 (creation of a criminal organization); Article 228
(illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and
possession of weapons, ammunition, explosives, and devices);
Article 270-1 (acts threatening aviation security); Article 277
(assassination of a state official or public figure); Article 278
(forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the
constitutional structure of the state); Article 279 (creation of
armed groups not provided for by law); and other articles.
Stay up-to-date with more news on Trend News
Agency's WhatsApp channel
Related News
29 Apr, 2025
Solomon Islands PM Manele stands ground . . .
27 May, 2025
Authorities speak out after man plows in . . .
05 Mar, 2025
China Retaliates Against Trump Tariffs a . . .
23 Apr, 2025
Ghana’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu named 2025 . . .
16 Apr, 2025
MIAA Softball Committee: Venue choices a . . .
30 May, 2025
Super Falcons Won’t Pull Punches against . . .
05 May, 2025
Hazel Irvine's shock secret wedding to m . . .
16 May, 2025
Russia, Belarus strengthen military coor . . .