Azerbaijanis Deceived Artsakh Users Online and Forced Them to Make Videos: Details

The Artsakh Prosecutor's Office has issued a statement regarding the situation. According to earlier reports, on September 25 of this year, a criminal case was initiated by the Artsakh National Security Service regarding the alleged act of state treason, based on the suspicion that a citizen of Artsakh, M.A., was directly involved in the crime. During the initiation and subsequent investigation of the criminal case, it was established that M.A. was suspected of providing videos showing the presence of Azerbaijanis in Stepanakert and their free movement to Azerbaijan's special services or their representatives.

Evidence gathered during the preliminary investigation of the criminal case has confirmed that a number of active users on social networks, managed by Azerbaijani special services, created attractive Facebook pages for individuals with various interests and preferences. They established close connections with various Artsakh users by creating expectations of intimate communication, establishing romantic ties, or enticing them with lucrative business offers. Under the guise of a deceptive trust framework, they requested and received, or attempted to obtain, videos and photographs depicting various public places in the capital of the Republic of Artsakh, promising to use them for advertising or in favor of the Republic of Artsakh.

Later, these videos were transformed into tools for instilling fear and creating an atmosphere of tension among the Artsakh citizens by adding propaganda speeches and disseminating them broadly through social networks and media outlets.

Considering that M.A.'s actions were the result of deception and that there was no criminal intent, a decision was made by the preliminary investigation body on October 13 of this year to discontinue the criminal prosecution due to the absence of criminal composition in his actions.

The Prosecutor's Office of Artsakh once again calls on citizens to refrain from engaging with suspicious users on social networks, and to immediately report any similar situations to the Artsakh National Security Service. Furthermore, it is essential to avoid sharing any information with such users, regardless of the motivations and purposes presented. It is necessary to understand that any such action, even if careless, can harm the internal and external security of the Republic of Artsakh.