At a Baku military court hearing, prosecutors demanded life sentences for five former leaders of the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, including its former president, Arayik Harutyunyan.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on October 31, a judge at the Baku Military Court announced the completion of the trial of the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh. The defendants' guilt in crimes committed over a period of 35 years has been proven by the investigation, proved by the investigation, prosecutors announced on November 3. The lengthy indictment was prepared in advance, says lawyer Siranush Sahakyan. Some social media users, discussing the trial, stated that the accused should be sentenced to the harshest possible punishment, while their opponents considered the investigation biased.
At a hearing in the Baku military court on November 13, the prosecution presented their proposals for prison terms for the former leaders of the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh accused of war crimes. Prosecutors suggested the court exclude "certain points" from the charges and classify the defendants' actions under more lenient charges, Report.az reported.
The prosecution requested life sentences for five defendants: former president of the unrecognized republic Arayik Harutyunyan, former parliament speaker David Ishkhanyan, former foreign minister David Babayan, as well as former commander of the Karabakh army Levon Mnatsakanyan and former deputy commander David Manukyan.
For former presidents of Nagorno-Karabakh Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, prosecutors requested 20-year sentences each, with the first ten years to be served in prison and the remainder in a maximum-security correctional facility. This requirement is based on the fact that both of them had reached the age of 65 by the end of the trial and, by law, cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment. The prosecution requested a similar 20-year sentence for Melikset Pashayan, a participant in two Karabakh wars.
They requested a 19-year sentence for defendant Garik Martirosyan, 18 years for David Allahverdyan, and 17 years for Levon Balayan, also with the first ten years to be served in prison. For defendants Vasily Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, and Erik Ghazaryan, prosecutors requested 16 years in a maximum-security prison with the same sentence.
The next court hearing is scheduled for November 27. Sentence proposals for the remaining two defendants are expected to be announced at that hearing.