Artsakh president Bako Sahakyan rejects charges 

ArmInfo. During the "trial" taking place in Baku, Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan stated that both at the stage of the preliminary investigation and now he insists  that the Artsakh issue is not the subject of criminal and judicial  discussion. This was written on his Facebook page by Tigran  Abrahamyan, a member of the National Assembly of the Republic of  Armenia from the opposition faction With Honor. 

"To put it briefly and simply, the president says that based on the  relevant article of the USSR Constitution, the goals and principles  enshrined in the UN Charter, the Artsakh movement that began in 1988  and the desire for the right to self-determination were the  legitimate right of the people of Artsakh," the deputy noted. He  added that Bako Sahakyan, not accepting the charges brought against  him, insisted in court that he and other prisoners of war accused  under this article did not commit any illegal, criminally punishable  acts.

The current and former military-political leadership of Artsakh was  taken hostage after the Azerbaijani aggression against the NKR on  September 19-20, 2023. For the second year in a row, in the face of  inaction by the international community, dozens of Armenian citizens  are illegally detained in Azerbaijan, subjected to cruel and  degrading treatment, torture. On January 17, under the chairmanship  of Judge Zeynal Agayev, the Baku Military Court began considering the  "indictment" against the former leaders of Nagorno- Karabakh on  fabricated criminal cases. Among the accused are three former  presidents of Nagorno- Karabakh Arkady Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan and  Arayik Harutyunyan. Also appearing before the court are former  Foreign Minister David Babayan, Parliament Speaker David Ishkhanyan,  former Commander of the Defense Army General Levon Mnatsakanyan,  General David Manukyan and former State Minister Ruben Vardanyan.

On January 16, Vardanyan made a statement in which he demanded that  he and his lawyer be given the opportunity to fully prepare for their  defense, that all violations and falsifications be eliminated, and  that his trial and that of all the other defendants be made public.  "I insist on a maximally open trial with the participation of  international journalists and representatives of humanitarian  organizations. I am convinced that only a real court, and not a  trial, will help take a step forward on the difficult path of  building new relations between our peoples," he emphasized, demanding  that his case be combined with the cases of the other defendants.  "More than 400 volumes of my case out of 422 are episodes of a common  case.  Separating my case into a separate proceeding is an artificial  and unfounded decision," Vardanyan added.

After a number of Vardanyan's motions were rejected during the trial,  he went on a hunger strike on February 15. On February 26, Ruben  Vardanyan's international lawyer, Jared Genser, issued a statement in  which he reported a sharp deterioration in his client's health and  called on the international community to respond to the trial in  Baku. Footage from the last court hearing shows bruises and hematomas  on Vardanyan's face, indicating that force was used against the  philanthropist.