The military court in Baku has sentenced former leaders of the Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh to life imprisonment. These politicians were detained in 2023 as a result of a military operation, after which the disputed territory was transferred under the control of Azerbaijan, RBC reports.
Among the convicted is Araik Harutyunyan, who served as the president of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) from 2020 until August 2023.
He was accused of committing war crimes, including aggressive war, genocide, terrorism, and violent seizure of power.
Similar penalties were applied to other key figures in the case, including former Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan, former parliamentary speaker David Ishkhanyan, David Manukyan, who held the position of deputy commander of the NKR forces, as well as former Foreign Minister David Babayan.
All the convicted were arrested at the end of 2023, and life imprisonment also threatens former state minister of the NKR Ruben Vardanyan. All defendants deny their guilt.
