Baku Appeal Court turns down appeal on Vagif Khachatryan’s case

The judicial farce organized by the Azerbaijani authorities against Vagif Khachatryan continues.

As the Azerbaijani media reports, the decision on the appeal was announced during the trial, chaired by Baku Court of Appeal Judge Hasan Ahmedov. As was expected, the appeal was not upheld, and the decision given by the first instance court will stand.

To remind, Vagif Khachatryan fought in the first Artsakh war. He was abducted from the hands of the Red Cross (ICRC) in the summer, last year, while crossing the Lachin corridor. The Azerbaijani authorities charged Khachatryan with particularly serious crimes for participating in combat operations. Despite the obviously illegal actions of the Azerbaijani authorities, including the abduction of a person who was under the ICRC protection, Khachatryan not only was not released, but also appeared in the chair of the accused. Fifty-nine “victims” have been involved in the trumped-up case; they all “recognized” Khachatryan and gave an account of the “crimes” that he had committed. Vagif Khachatryan refused to plead guilty, stating that he had not been engaged in any crime.