News - The defense lawyers for Armenian prisoners held in Baku have petitioned the court to acquit them.

On November 27, the trial in Baku in the case of illegally detained Artsakh military-political leaders continued, presided over by Judge Zeynal Aghayev of the Baku Military Court. Only Azerbaijani state-controlled media attended the proceedings. It is not possible to verify from other sources the statements attributed to the Armenians being tried. Azerbaijan’s Azertaj state news agency reports that the hearing began with remarks from the Armenian prisoners’ defense attorneys. Gurgen Stepanyan’s defense lawyer Zumrud Samedov began his remarks by recalling that the state prosecutor had asked the court to sentence Stepanyan to 16 years in prison. The lawyer noted that Gurgen Stepanyan does not admit the charges. According to him, Stepanyan, as he stated in his testimony during the proceedings, served in Hadrut from 2005 to 2007 and in 2023 served at a combat position. The lawyer stated that allegedly on September 19, 2023 he left his position, fled Stepanakert, and on the way met Azerbaijani armed forces soldiers, after which he surrendered to them. The lawyer asked the court to acquit him. The defense for Vasili Beglaryan, Azizaλλa Gafarova, stated that his client is not guilty of the mentioned crimes. According to Azerbaijani media, the lawyer said that Beglaryan served in Martakert in 2012–2013. He said that in 2022 V. Beglaryan signed a three-year contract as a contracted serviceman in a unit based in Stepanakert. He has been promoted to combat positions several times. The defense stressed that serving three years under a contract in a unit based in Stepanakert is attributed to Beglaryan, although his service was voluntary, it was due to his inability to find work and he received a contractual salary. The defense added that this fact is also confirmed by Vasil Beglaryan’s testimony. He also stated that V. Beglaryan does not admit guilt. The defense asked the court to acquit V. Beglaryan. The defense for Arkadi Ghukasyan, Artsakh Republic’s second president, Parvana Gasimova, stated that her client is not a member of a criminal group. She said they do not accept the prosecution’s arguments and asked the court to acquit Arkadi Ghukasyan. The defense for Davit Manukyan, former deputy commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, Valekh Gurbanyov, stated that his client does not plead guilty and does not consider himself a member of any illegal armed group. The lawyer added: “Davit Manukyan has never been a founder or participant in any unlawful armed group. He was a soldier and acted within military regulations.” The defense emphasized that the main fault lies with the Armenian political-military leadership. He asked the court to acquit his client. The lawyer for Davit Babayan, former adviser to Artsakh’s president and former foreign minister, Chingiz Mansurov, said that his client voluntarily surrendered to Azerbaijani soldiers in September 2023. The lawyer stressed that Babayan does not admit guilt and asked the court to acquit him. According to Azerbaijani media, Madat Babayan’s lawyer Leila Namazzadeh said that Madat Babayan attended Khojaly events, but he did not kill anyone and did not shoot at peaceful residents; he served as a private. The lawyer also noted that thanks to Madat Babayan’s testimony it was possible to locate the remains of those killed in Khojaly and bury them. The lawyer asked the court to acquit Madat Babayan of all charges. The next court session has been scheduled for December 4. Also read: Five of Artsakh’s illegally detained military-political leaders in Baku face life imprisonment. Main photo: Azerbaijan’s Azertaj state news agency.