Trial of Armenian war criminals, who tortured Azerbaijani prisoners begins

The trial of Armenian war criminals Ludwig Mkrtchyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan, who tortured Azerbaijani prisoners of war and committed other crimes during the First Karabakh War (1991-1994), is underway in Baku, Trend reports.

The Yasamal district court is holding a preparatory session of the court on the criminal case.

The facts of hostage-taking, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners and other persons protected by international humanitarian law have been revealed during the investigation of the criminal case launched by Azerbaijan’s Military Prosecutor’s Office under various articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan in connection with war crimes against peace and humanity committed against Azerbaijanis in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan by the armed forces of the Armenian separatist regime operating illegally in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan and by the Armed Forces of Armenia.

As a result of the investigation, it was established that Mkrtychyan participated in the activities of armed groups consisting of Armenians who arrived from Armenia, as well as living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and also tortured an Azerbaijani citizen taken hostage on July 12, 1991, and illegally detained him about 17 days in the forest near the town of Khojaly.

"In addition, he also acted as an interpreter during the interrogation by the Armenian special services of a civilian resident of Azerbaijan who was taken hostage on September 13, 1999 in the Tapgaragoyunlu village of the Goranboy district, brought to Yerevan and illegally detained in one of the military units," said the statement.

The investigation also established that Mkrtchyan at various times beat and tortured 11 captured Azerbaijani citizens in the territory of the Khojavend and Agder? districts, in the Shusha prison and in Yerevan, and also shot a serviceman of one of the military units.

Mkrtchyan was detained on October 20, 2020 in the territory of the Malikjanli village of the Fuzuli district by the servicemen of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan.

“Investigative measures carried out also exposed the criminal acts by Alyosha Khosrovyan, a citizen of Armenia, born in 1967, who together with Mkrtichyan tortured Azerbaijanis,” the message said.

“It was revealed that Khosrovyan tortured five Azerbaijanis during their captivity and subjected them to cruel and inhumane treatment,” the message said.

“Thus, a former soldier of the military unit N of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan taken prisoner in April 1994, was exposed to cruel and inhumane treatment by Khosrovyan,” the message said. “During his illegal detention in one of the houses in Mysmina (Aghbulag) village, Khojavand district he was forced to do heavy construction work of a house for the so-called Minister of Defense of “Nagorno-Karabakh ” Samvel Babayan.”

“Khosrovyan also demonstrated especial cruelty to soldiers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, who were taken captives in 1993-1994 and illegally detained in the Shusha city prison,” the message said. “He tortured them by exposing to regular beatings, starving, and inflicting mental anguish and physical pain.”

“Khosrovyan was detained by servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on October 3, 2020 while conducting reconnaissance operations in the territories of the of Azerbaijan,” the message said.

“There are well-founded suspicions that Mkrtichyan and Khosrovyan committed crimes provided by Articles 113 (torture), 115.2 (violation of war laws and customs), 279.1 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided by law), 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of Azerbaijan) and other articles of the Criminal Code,” the message said. “Therefore, they were charged with these articles, and by court decisions, arrest as a measure of restraint was chosen against them.”

“On May 20, 2021 the indictment on the criminal case was approved and sent to Baku Military Court for consideration,” the message said. “Comprehensive measures are ongoing to expose the criminal acts of other persons in the criminal case and bring them to justice.”