Azerbaijan's Askerov and Guliyev Gathered Information Related to Sotk Mine: Noteworthy Facts

The recent extradition of Azerbaijani citizens Dilham Askerov, sentenced to life imprisonment, and Shahbaz Guliyev, sentenced to 22 years, has prompted dissatisfaction among Armenian citizens. Armenian authorities, particularly the Prosecutor General’s Office and the Ministry of Justice, have yet to officially clarify the legal grounds for the extradition of convicted individuals serving sentences in Armenia who do not hold prisoner of war status.

Considering the public interest in this case and the dangerous nature of the crimes committed, NEWS.am publishes exclusive details from the criminal case files concerning Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev.

On July 10, 2014, an attempt by the enemy to infiltrate through the borders of Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia was thwarted in the direction of Kaarvachar, where some members of the group were detected and arrested, while others fled. The Ministry of Defense of Nagorno-Karabakh released evidence on July 11 about the actions of the Azerbaijani sabotage group, including photographs. During the neutralization of the sabotage group, an Armenian officer was killed, and a woman was injured. According to the court ruling, the saboteurs also killed a resident of the village of Nor Erkect in the Shahuymyan region, 17-year-old Smbat Tsakanian.

Under criminal case N0130/01/2014, citizens of the Republic of Azerbaijan Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev were charged under five articles of the Nagorno-Karabakh criminal code. Guliyev faced charges of espionage, illegally crossing the state border of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh by an organized group, illegal possession of firearms and military ammunition by an organized group, abduction of a person, and secret theft of property. Askerov was additionally charged with murder committed by an organized group out of national hatred.

According to the case materials, Shahbaz Guliyev, a member of the organized group, crossed the line of contact maintained by the armed forces of Nagorno-Karabakh with the assistance of Azerbaijani intelligence, gathering state secrets through filming and commentary. This included information on the direction of border infiltration, combat positions, locations of military units and their approaches, types of military equipment, and areas outside of control — for the purpose of covert deployment and storage in case of infiltration by sabotage-reconnaissance groups.

The case also contained details about the military intelligence of Azerbaijan regarding military villages, nationwide electrical wiring, communication networks, the condition of the Kaarvachar highway, and information pertaining to the Sotk gold mine, which could potentially undermine the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and external security of Nagorno-Karabakh.

The investigation gathered sufficient evidence to charge the Azerbaijanis in connection to these acts. Their guilt was confirmed by a court ruling that has come into effect. The case files suggest that concrete actions regarding the collection of information related to strategically important objects of Azerbaijan’s special services in Artsakh and Armenia, especially concerning the Kaarvachar military facilities and the Sotk mine, took place six years ago.

It is noteworthy that, according to the trilateral agreement signed on November 9, Azerbaijan also received control over the Kaarvachar district and a large part of the Sotk mine.