BAKU, Azerbaijan, December 18. The court
proceedings in the criminal case against Armenian citizen Ruben
Vardanyan, charged under articles of the Criminal Code of the
Republic of Azerbaijan related to crimes against peace and
humanity, war crimes, as well as terrorism, financing of terrorism,
and other grave crimes, continued on December 18, Trend reports.
The open court hearing held at the Baku Military Court, presided
over by Judge Zeynal Agayev, with judges Anar Rzayev and Jamal
Ramazanov (reserve judge Gunel Samedova), ensured that the accused
was provided with an interpreter in the language he knows, namely
Russian, as well as a state-appointed lawyer for his defense.
At the beginning of the court session, the accused Ruben
Vardanyan stated that he wished to speak with his defense counsel
in the courtroom.
The presiding judge granted his motion. After the accused spoke
with his defense counsel Emil Babishov, the prosecution delivered
its speech.
In his address, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal
Aliyev recalled that the judicial investigation in the criminal
case concerning the charges against Vardanyan Ruben Karlenovich had
been completed. Over the course of nearly a year, numerous court
hearings were held, documents and evidence were examined, and
victims and witnesses were questioned. The prosecution believes
that, based on the evidence presented, the guilt of the accused in
committing numerous criminal acts in the current proceedings has
been confirmed.
The prosecution stated that crimes committed both before and
after R. Vardanyan joined the criminal organization formed by
Armenia in the sovereign territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan
it had occupied would be addressed. V. Aliyev said: “All this is
important because when Ruben Vardanyan joined the said criminal
organization, he understood the social danger of his actions, knew
what crimes had been committed by this criminal organization
against the Azerbaijani state and people, and continued the
commission of those crimes at subsequent stages.”
It was emphasized that between 1988 and 1994, the Armenian state
and the criminal organization it formed occupied the city of
Khankendi of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the districts
of Kalbajar, Shusha, Lachin, Khojaly, Khojavend, Zangilan,
Jabrayil, Gubadli, the village of Kerki in the Sadarak district of
the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, the villages of Baghanis Ayrum,
Ashaghi Askipara, Kheyrimli, Barkhudarly, Sofulu, Gizilhajili,
Yukhari Askipara of the Gazakh district, the district centers and a
number of villages of the Aghdam and Fuzuli districts, and several
villages of the Tartar district. As a result, these territories
were destroyed, burned, looted, and damaged in other ways, private
property was harmed, and people were forcibly displaced from their
homes.
Continuing his speech, the prosecutor referred to the inspection
protocol dated October 26, 2023, regarding the inspection of R.
Vardanyan’s office located in the city of Khankendi, as well as to
operational information and other documents, stating: “These
documents confirm that the accused joined the criminal organization
in early December 2020.”
In his speech, the prosecutor defending the state prosecution
also addressed R. Vardanyan’s links with Vartanov Vladimir (Vova)
Levanovich (Levani), the founder of the terrorist organization
known as “VoMa,” which took part in military operations against the
Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as their
communications via the WhatsApp mobile application. It was noted
that “VoMa” was established on January 11, 2013, and operated as an
organized armed group as a structural unit of a criminal
organization in the Republic of Armenia, as well as in territories
of the Republic of Azerbaijan that had previously been under
occupation.
It was established during operational measures that Vardanyan,
who maintained regular contact with Vartanov, discussed within the
framework of the “VoMa” terrorist organization the training of
fighters and instructors, the organization of training sessions,
and thus the commission of terrorist acts and participation in
combat operations by remnants of the Armenian army and illegal
Armenian armed groups against the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, and
that Vardanyan assumed responsibility for financing this terrorist
organization and its members.
The prosecutor stated that another charge brought against R.
Vardanyan concerns the illegal crossing of the state border of the
Republic of Azerbaijan. According to the indictment, in September
2022, acting in line with the common criminal intent and objectives
of the criminal organization, as part of an organized group
belonging to the criminal organization, and as a foreign national,
he illegally crossed the guarded state border of the Republic of
Azerbaijan from the territory of the Republic of Armenia toward the
Lachin district, outside official state border checkpoints, entered
the territory of Azerbaijan, and settled in the country. The
prosecution considers that the commission of this act has also been
confirmed by the evidence examined during the judicial
investigation. Thus, the protocol dated September 27, 2023, on the
inspection of items found on Ruben Vardanyan at the time of his
detention shows that among other items and documents in his black
bag, an Armenian Republic foreign passport No. “AU319012” belonging
to the accused and his driver’s license were discovered and
examined.
In addition, during the ongoing inspection it was established
that after illegally arriving in the Karabakh region of the
Republic of Azerbaijan in early September 2022, Vardanyan left the
country several times to travel to various countries and later
illegally returned again to the territory of the Republic of
Azerbaijan. The document did not reveal any record, stamp, or other
indication confirming his lawful entry into the Republic of
Azerbaijan.
It was also stated that after Vardanyan arrived in Khankendi,
mine-laying operations began within the boundaries of the sovereign
territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan liberated from Armenian
occupation during the Patriotic War as a result of his financing.
Those mines were transported from Armenia to the formerly occupied
territories of Azerbaijan via the Lachin road. Armenians living in
Khankendi reported that mine-laying activities significantly
expanded after R. Vardanyan’s arrival.
Furthermore, as a result of Vardanyan’s financing, military
depots were established around Khankendi. These depots were
operated by servicemen he hired from Armenia and by fighters
selected from Karabakh. A large number of weapons and ammunition
brought by R. Vardanyan, as well as quadcopter drones and other
unmanned aerial vehicles, were placed in the depots.
It was noted that another charge announced against R. Vardanyan
and confirmed by the evidence examined at the court hearing
concerned his initiative to launch the “Nemesis-2” terrorist
operation.
In addition, it became known that in September 2023, in line
with the common criminal intent and objectives of the criminal
organization, and with the support and supervision of Armenia’s
political and military leadership, R. Vardanyan engaged in
activities aimed at acquiring “Malloy” unmanned aerial vehicles
(UAVs) manufactured in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and
Northern Ireland, with a payload capacity of 180 kg and an
operating range of 70 km, for the purpose of equipping armed units
belonging to the said criminal organization that were operating
illegally and in violation of international law in the formerly
occupied territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Continuing his speech, Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor
General Vusal Aliyev voiced the proposals of the prosecutors
defending the state prosecution regarding the punishment to be
imposed for each criminal act with which the accused is
charged.
During his address, Aliyev also proposed to the court the
removal of certain clauses from the charges brought against the
accused and, in comparison with some of the charges, the
reclassification of the accused’s actions under provisions of
criminal law providing for a lighter liability.
It was proposed that Vardanyan Ruben Karlenovich be sentenced to
life imprisonment by absorbing the lesser punishment into the more
severe one for the crimes stipulated by the Criminal Code of the
Republic of Azerbaijan, including planning, preparing, initiating
and waging an aggressive war; attacking persons enjoying
international protection; forcible transfer of population;
persecution; enforced disappearance of persons; unlawful
deprivation of liberty in violation of international law; torture;
mercenarism; violations of the laws and customs of war; violations
of international humanitarian law during armed conflict;
intentional homicide; illegal entrepreneurship; terrorism;
financing of terrorism; creation of a criminal organization;
illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and
carrying of weapons, their components, ammunition, explosive
substances and devices; acts posing a threat to aviation security;
violent seizure and retention of power; violent change of the
constitutional order of the state; creation of armed formations and
groups not provided for by legislation; and illegal crossing of the
state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan. The sentence is to be
served in prison.
The start of the term of punishment is to be calculated from the
time of his detention, September 27, 2023. The preventive measure
of arrest chosen in respect of him is to remain unchanged until the
verdict enters into legal force.
The next court hearing has been scheduled for December 26.