Harutyunyan: Armenian president awarded rank to so-called “defense minister” during occupation

During a court hearing at the Baku Military Court on June 30, defendant Arayik Harutyunyan revealed that the so-called “defense minister” of the illegal regime once operating in Azerbaijan’s occupied territories was granted the military rank of lieutenant general by the President of Armenia in 2020.

Harutyunyan stated that he had no authority to make such an appointment within the armed formation, noting, “Jalal Harutyunyan was awarded the rank of lieutenant general by the President of the Republic of Armenia, Armen Sarkissian. The President signed this order upon the presentation of the Prime Minister.”

He added that the so-called regime lacked any independent military judicial system: “The military police is a structure of the Armenian armed forces. The military prosecutor's office also operated within the Armenian Prosecutor's Office. I think that general trials were conducted in the Syunik court. That is, such trials were not conducted in Garabagh.”

The trial is part of ongoing proceedings against Armenian nationals accused of crimes committed during Armenia's occupation of Azerbaijani territories, including war crimes, genocide, terrorism, and other serious violations of international law.