Vagif Khachatryan Pleads Not Guilty

The trial of 70-year-old Artsakh resident Vagif Khachatryan continues at the military court in Baku. The prosecutor has presented the concluding part of the indictment, according to the APA news agency.

Vagif Khachatryan has pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and stated that he did not participate in the alleged "crimes" against Azerbaijanis. According to Azerbaijani media reports, Khachatryan said, "The Azerbaijanis living there were close to me; I knew everyone. I did not participate in any events during the hostilities." This statement reportedly caused an uproar in the courtroom.

During the session, Khachatryan announced that he was refusing the services of his lawyer Natig Beybalaev, and a new lawyer, Radmila Adilova, has been appointed. Meanwhile, Trend reports that it was Beybalaev who refused to continue representing Khachatryan due to health issues.

It is noteworthy that Vagif Khachatryan was abducted by Azerbaijani security forces from their checkpoint in Hakari at the end of July. He was traveling to Yerevan in an ambulance accompanied by the Red Cross for an urgent heart surgery as advised by doctors. On the same day, Baku announced that he had long been wanted for the alleged genocide in the village of Meshali. According to Azerbaijani law enforcement, Khachatryan "killed 25 people" in Meshali village during the 1990s and "caused damage worth 5.5 million manat to the residents there."