I am a farmer, not a terrorist. Azerbaijan distorted the thoughts of Vagif Khachatryan and sentenced him to 15 years in prison, says Bakoyan

Azerbaijan, being a member of the Council of Europe and having ratified the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, has nonetheless violated the right to a fair trial of Vagif Khachatryan, an ethnic Armenian, during an obviously formal and fake trial. This was stated by Rustam Bakoyan, a member of the National Assembly from the 'Civil Contract' party, on his Facebook page.

"I am a farmer, not a terrorist," were the words uttered by Armenian Vagif Khachatryan in an Azerbaijani court. His arrest was initially a continuation of an apparent military crime, and the subsequent legal processes against him are vivid evidence of gross human rights violations in a totalitarian country like Azerbaijan," Bakoyan wrote.

He noted that Vagif Khachatryan denied his involvement in the so-called 'Meshali incidents' and apologized in Armenian, literally stating that he was not present at the events. This means that the individual has not actually accepted the criminal charges against him; however, the translator, acting within the framework of Azerbaijan's deliberate and apparent anti-Armenian policy, miscommunicated to the attendees that Khachatryan apologized to the Azerbaijani people for all incidents committed by Armenians.

Throughout the entire process, Vagif Khachatryan's thoughts were distorted, resulting in him being sentenced to 15 years in prison.

"I have sent urgent letters to my international colleagues to ensure Vagif Khachatryan's prompt return to the Republic of Armenia within their mandated powers. I have requested to politically document that the trial against Vagif Khachatryan is entirely fake and aims to obscure Azerbaijan's criminal anti-Armenian activities and the military crimes committed," the parliamentarian wrote.