The trial was presided over by a judge of the Baku Military Court.

The facts of hostage-taking, torture and ill-treatment of prisoners of war and other persons protected by international humanitarian law have been revealed during the investigation of the criminal case launched by the Military Prosecutor’s Office under various articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan in connection with war crimes committed against Azerbaijanis in the de-occupied territories of Azerbaijan by Armenian separatists.

The investigation found out that Ludwig Mkrtchyan, an Armenian citizen, who upon prior conspiracy entered into criminal relations with a group of individuals participating in the activities of the armed groups consisting of nationalist Armenians living in Nagorno-Karabakh, as well as coming from Armenia, tortured an Azerbaijani citizen taken hostage in July 1991 in a forest area near Khojaly town.

Furthermore, Mkrtchyan tortured a civilian taken hostage in Tapgaragoyunlu village, Goranboy district on September 13, 1999, and brought to Yerevan, who was detained in one of the military units in the city and acted as an interpreter during the interrogation by the Armenian special services.

The investigation also revealed that 11 Azerbaijani citizens taken captives, at different times were beaten and exposed to various tortures by Mkrtchyan in Khojavand and Aghdara districts, Shusha prison and Yerevan city. Struck by automatic gunfire, a serviceman of a Defense Ministry military unit was killed.

Mkrtichyan was detained by Azerbaijani military servicemen on October 20, 2020, in the territory of Malikjanli village, Fuzuli district.

Investigative measures carried out also exposed the criminal acts by Armenian citizen Khosrovyan Alyosha Aramaisovich (born in 1967), who together with Ludwig Mkrtichyan brutally treated and tortured Azerbaijanis.

It was revealed that Alyosha Khosrovyan tortured 5 Azerbaijanis during their captivity and subjected them to cruel and inhumane treatment.

Thus, a former soldier of a Defense Ministry military unit, taken prisoner in April 1994, was exposed to cruel and inhumane treatment by Alyosha Khosrovyan. During his illegal detention in one of the houses in Mysmina (Aghbulag) village, Khojavand district he was forced to do heavy construction work of a house for the so-called defense minister of the “Nagorno-Karabakh Republic” Babayan Samvel Andranikovich and inflicted various bodily injuries.

Khosrovyan also demonstrated especial cruelty to Azerbaijani servicemen, who were taken captives in 1993-1994 and illegally detained in the Shusha city prison. He tortured them by exposing them to regular beatings, starving, and inflicting mental anguish and physical pain.

Khosrovyan was detained by Azerbaijani servicemen on October 3, 2020, while conducting reconnaissance operations in the territory of Azerbaijan.

The Armenian war criminals face charges under Articles 113 (torture), 115.2 (violation of war laws and customs), 279.1 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided by law), 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and other articles of the Criminal Code. Therefore, they were charged with these articles, and by court decisions, arrest as a measure of restraint was chosen against them.

On 20 May 2021, the indictment on the criminal case was approved and sent to the Baku Military Court for consideration.

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