Former Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, former Speaker of the National Assembly David Ishkhanyan, former Commander of the Defense Army Levon Harutyunyan, and Major-General David Manukyan have been sentenced to life imprisonment. The decision was handed down by the Baku Military Court on Thursday.
The former officials were taken prisoner following Azerbaijan’s military offensive in September 2023, which resulted in the mass exodus of Armenians from Nagorno Karabakh. Several political and military leaders were detained by Azerbaijani authorities while attempting to leave the region for Armenia, including at the Lachin Corridor checkpoint.
Azerbaijan accuses them of a range of serious offenses, including planning and waging an aggressive war, genocide, violations of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing terrorism, and forcibly seizing and retaining power, among other charges.
