Prosecutor's Office Takes Measures Against Azerbaijan's International Search Notices for Several Individuals from Armenia and Artsakh

Recently, media outlets referenced official sources from the Republic of Azerbaijan, reporting on criminal prosecution initiated by Azerbaijani authorities against former Minister of Defense of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan, National Assembly member Arman Babajanyan, President of the Republic of Artsakh Araik Harutyunyan, former Minister of Defense and Commander of the Defense Army Jalal Harutyunyan, and advisor to the President of Artsakh Davit Babayan, accompanied by international search notices.

The Prosecutor’s Office reports that the prosecution against the aforementioned individuals has no legal basis and, in fact, represents a logical continuation of military actions driven by national hatred, orchestrated by the political leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan. In response to becoming aware of these developments, the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has undertaken preventive measures against the illegal extradition.

In particular, the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia, in conjunction with the Interpol department of the Armenian Police, has notified the Secretary General of Interpol about the breaches of several international agreements by the military-political leadership of the Republic of Azerbaijan. These include the initiation and conduct of an aggressive war against Armenia and Artsakh, the recruitment of mercenaries from various terrorist groups for material compensation, the execution of war crimes with gross violations of international humanitarian norms, and the deliberate killing of numerous soldiers and civilians in a manner posing significant threat to many lives.

Measures have been taken through Interpol's Secretary General to prevent attempts of illegal extradition, including refraining from responding to inquiries related to these search notices, not including the data related to the mentioned individuals in the relevant Interpol databases, and not engaging in any cooperation through Interpol regarding these matters.

In this regard, it has been taken into account that, according to Article 3 of Interpol's Constitution, the organization is strictly prohibited from engaging in any activities or intervening in political, military, religious, or racial matters.

The Prosecutor's Office of Armenia has also consistently pursued efforts to halt Azerbaijan's attempts to use other intelligence avenues for the same reasons. Considering that this work and process contain a significant component of confidentiality, it is neither possible nor appropriate to provide further details.

Since 2017, thanks to effective cooperation with foreign partners, the Prosecutor's Office of Armenia has been proactive in taking consistent steps regarding inquiries initiated by Azerbaijan on political motives and national identity grounds, which have, in practice, yielded significant positive results. For example, regarding Azerbaijan’s attempts to issue international wanted notices for criminal prosecution against individuals visiting or actively operating in Artsakh, a stance has been formed by the Secretary General of Interpol, recognizing such inquiries as inconsistent with Article 3 of Interpol’s Constitution; therefore, no follow-up action is taken on similar inquiries by Interpol's Secretary General.