Appeals proceedings for the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh are beginning in Baku. They previously received prison sentences in Azerbaijan, including life imprisonment.
As a reminder, in February, a military court in Baku sentenced former Karabakh leaders Arayik Harutyunyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, David Manukyan, David Ishkhanyan, and David Babayan to life imprisonment. They were found guilty of war crimes. Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan received 20 years in prison, Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayan received 19 years, Garik Martirosyan received 18 years, David Alaverdyan and Levon Balayan received 16 years, and Vasily Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, and Erik Ghazaryan received 15 years.
The case of Russian billionaire and former State Minister of Karabakh Ruben Vardanyan was examined separately; he was sentenced to 20 years.
According to a report by the International Commission of Jurists, the trials of Armenian prisoners in Baku did not meet fair trial standards. Furthermore, the trial of the cases in a military court raises questions, as civilians were involved.
The report's authors noted that the defendants were denied effective legal representation, and state-appointed lawyers failed to respond to cases of ill-treatment of prisoners. Case documents were given to the defendants in a language they did not understand or were not given at all, and motions in their defense were rejected. The lawyers called on the Council of Europe to monitor the appeal hearings of these sentences.
