The review session of court hearings on the criminal case against Ruben Vardanyan, an Armenian citizen charged with torture, mercenary activity, violation of the laws and customs of warfare, terrorism, financing terrorism, and other articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, continued on February 13.

The open hearings were held at the Baku Military Court in the Baku Court Complex, presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev, with a panel of judges consisting of Anar Rzayev and Jamal Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samadova). The accused was provided with an interpreter in the language of his choice, i.e., Russian, as well as lawyers for his defense.

The court hearing was attended by victims, their legal successors and representatives, prosecutors in charge of public prosecution, as well as the Head of the Cabinet of Ministers Executive Office, Rufat Mammadov, acting in the capacity of a representative of the victim on behalf of the Azerbaijani state.

At the beginning of the hearing, Ruben Vardanyan and his lawyer Avraam Berman asked the court to create conditions for a meeting in private.

The court granted the motion and a recess was announced for a meeting in private.

After the recess, Ruben Vardanyan announced that he was refusing to use the services of the state-appointed defense attorney, Azer Maharramov, and that his rights would now be defended by his lawyer Avraam Berman.

The prosecution and the victim’s representative did not object to the motion.

After deliberation, the court granted the motion.

The hearing then continued with the announcement of the concluding part of the indictment by the prosecutors in charge of public prosecution.

The court hearing saw the announcement of the indictment with regard to the Armenian state, the direct leadership and participation of its state bodies, military forces and illegal armed formations, the verbal and written instructions, orders, and assignments, the provision of material and technical support, the central governance, as well as the exercise of rigorous control, with the aim of committing military aggression and acts of terror against the Republic of Azerbaijan in the territory of Azerbaijan in violation of domestic and international law, under the leadership and with direct and indirect participation of Armenian state, as well as Robert Sedraki Kocharyan, Serzh Azati Sargsyan, Vazgen Mikaeli Manukyan, Vazgen Zaveni Sargsyan, Samvel Andraniki Babayan, Vitali Mikaeli Balasanyan, Zori Hayki Balayan, Seyran Mushegi Ohanyan, Arshavir Surenovich Garamyan, Monte Charles Melkonyan and others, including the damage caused to the defense arsenal of the Azerbaijani Army, the ecology and nature of the Republic of Azerbaijan during the war of aggression waged by the aforementioned criminal group, the episodes of mining of the occupied sovereign territories of Azerbaijan, specific charges brought against Ruben Vardanyan, as well as the disclosure of the number of civilians and military personnel killed and attempted to be killed.

The Assistant to the Prosecutor General for Special Assignments, Tugay Rahimli, announced the damage caused to the defense arsenal of the Azerbaijani Army, Azerbaijan’s ecology and nature by the criminal group participating in Armenia’s war of aggression, as well as the number of civilians and military personnel killed and attempted to be killed.

It was reported that in the time period from the late 1980s to September 20, 2023, material damage was caused to the ecology and nature of the Republic of Azerbaijan in the amount of more than 13.4 billion manats through the destruction of trees, bushes and other vegetation in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, pollution of water sources, water basins and reservoirs, as well as extermination of agricultural lands.

In the 1988-2024 time period, a total of 18,351 people were deliberately killed, including 3,053 civilians, 15,298 military personnel, 17,607 men, 744 women and 401 children, and a total of 55,177 people were injured to varying degree of severity, including 3,710 civilians, 51,467 military personnel, 54,103 men, 1,074 women and 457 children.

During the war of aggression against the Republic of Azerbaijan, the defense arsenal of the Azerbaijan Army worth more than 908 million manats was intentionally damaged, its military property was destroyed, rendered unusable and seized.

Then, the Head of the Department of Public Prosecution of the Prosecutor General's Office, Nasir Bayramov, read out the specific charges brought against the accused Ruben Vardanyan.

In particular, he stated that, according to the indictment, in September 2022, Ruben Vardanyan illegally crossed the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan bypassing state checkpoints from the territory of the Republic of Armenia in the direction of Lachin district, entered the territory of Azerbaijan, and settled in an area temporarily controlled by Russian peacekeepers in the Karabakh economic region of Azerbaijan.

He collected the funds belonging to himself and citizens of various countries under the guise of the “Aurora” foundation, which he co-founded allegedly for “humanitarian purposes”, the “We are our mountains” organization and other aid campaigns, and used these funds to financially support the armed formations and groups not provided for by Azerbaijani legislation, provide them with military equipment, illegally acquire and import military weapons and equipment into the territory of Azerbaijan, and stored them in specially organized military warehouses.

In addition, he paid monthly salaries to members of what he called “local self-defense groups” not provided for by Azerbaijani legislation, as well as other armed groups and units consisting mainly of professional soldiers. He also colluded with Vladimir (Vova) Levanovich Vartanov, the founder of the terrorist organization “VoMa”, and provided funds for the organization of training for the purpose of committing acts of terror acts against Azerbaijani citizens by instructors of that organization.

He also negotiated with representatives of “AKVA”, a company operating in the Russian Federation, to establish a joint venture for the production of guided anti-aircraft missiles and complexes, target detection stations, battery and radio transmitter blocks, and other devices for use against civilian and military facilities in the occupied sovereign territories of Azerbaijan. He also negotiated and gave relevant instructions on the purchase of helicopter-type unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) intended for use by illegal armed groups in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan and the construction of a plant to produce them, as well as the purchase and delivery of radio-electronic warfare systems to illegal armed groups.

At the same time, Ruben Vardanyan, in an action plan personally drawn up by him, put forward the initiative to launch the “Nemesis-2” terrorist operation to commit acts of terror against representatives of Azerbaijan’s diplomatic corps abroad, citizens performing their official and public duties.

Continuing the announcement of the indictment, the Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General, Vusal Aliyev, as well as public prosecutors Fuad Musayev, Vusal Abdullayev and Tarana Mammadova, read out facts related to the mining of the sovereign territories of Azerbaijan occupied by the Armenian state and the continuation of military aggression in this way. It was particularly emphasized that some of the mines planted in the occupied territories were manufactured in Armenia.

It was stated that given the large volume of the indictment, its announcement would be continued in the next hearings.

The next court hearing is scheduled for February 17.

It should be noted that Ruben Vardanyan is accused of committing acts under Articles 100 (planning and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation or forced displacement of the population), 109 (persecution), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114 (mercenary activity), 115 (violation of the laws and customs of warfare), 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during an armed conflict), 214 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing terrorism) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

He is also accused of committing acts stipulated under Articles 218 (creation of a criminal association (organization)), 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and possession of weapons, their components, ammunition, explosives and devices), 270-1 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279 (creation of armed formations and groups not provided for by law), 318 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and other articles of the Criminal Code.

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