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Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia, who is accused of crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, and other serious crimes under the articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has had the final court decision (verdict) announced in an open court session regarding his criminal case.
“Elchi” reports that in the Baku Military Court, in a court session presided over by judges Zeynal Agayev, composed of Jamal Ramazanov and Anar Rzayev (reserve judge Gunel Samedova), the defendant was provided with a translator in his known language, i.e., Russian, as well as a lawyer at the expense of the state for his defense.
The session was attended by the defendant, his defender, a portion of the victims and legal successors of the victims, and their representatives, prosecutors defending the state prosecution, as well as Rufat Mammadov, the head of the Cabinet of Ministers Apparatus, as a victim on behalf of the Azerbaijani state.
According to the verdict, R. Vardanyan was definitively sentenced to 20 years of imprisonment.
It is worth mentioning that the prosecutor defending the state prosecution in the court session had proposed that the defendant R. Vardanyan be sentenced to life imprisonment.
Ruben Vardanyan is accused under Articles 100.1, 100.2 (planning, preparing, initiating, and waging an aggressive war), 107 (deportation and forced relocation of the population), 109 (persecution), 110 (forcible disappearance of persons), 112 (deprivation of liberty in violation of international law), 113 (torture), 114.1 (mercenarism), 115.2 (violation of the laws and customs of war), 116.0.1, 116.0.2, 116.0.10, 116.0.11, 116.0.16, 116.0.18 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict), 120.2.1, 120.2.3, 120.2.4, 120.2.7, 120.2.11, 120.2.12 (premeditated murder), 29,120.2.1, 29,120.2.3, 29,120.2.4, 29,120.2.7, 29,120.2.11, 29,120.2.12 (attempted premeditated murder), 192.3.1 (illegal entrepreneurship), 214.2.1, 214.2.3, 214.2.4 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing of terrorism), 218.1, 218.2 (creation of a criminal association), 228.3 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation, and carrying of firearms, their component parts, ammunition, explosives, and devices), 270-1.2, 270-1.4 (acts endangering aviation security), 278.1 (forcible seizure of power or forcible retention of it, forcible change of the constitutional order of the state), 279.1, 279.2, 279.3 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided for by law), and 318.2 (illegally crossing the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
It should be noted that the open court process in the criminal cases against Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others, citizens of the Republic of Armenia, who are accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, including the preparation and conduct of aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism, forcible seizure of power, forcible retention of it, and numerous other crimes as a result of Armenia’s military aggression against Azerbaijan, was completed on February 5.
The final court decision (verdict) was announced regarding the defendants in the court process, which began on January 17 of the previous year and has been ongoing for more than a year.