The Baku Court of Appeal has commenced the judicial review of appeals filed by citizens of the Republic of Armenia, including Arayik Harutyunyan, Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and others. These individuals were previously sentenced by the Baku Military Court for crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, preparation and conduct of an aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing of terrorism, and illegal seizure of power.
According to the Operative Information Center-OMM, the court session was presided over by Judge Elmar Rahimov, with the participation of judges Emin Mehdiyev and Mehriban Garayeva (reserve judge Ali Mammadov). Each defendant was provided with interpreters in their native languages—Armenian and Russian—as well as legal counsel to ensure their defense rights.
The hearing was attended by representatives of the victims and prosecutors from the Prosecutor General's Office, including Abbas Abbasli, head of the Department for State Prosecution, and prosecutors Anar Alakbarov and Sevinc Gasimova. The defendants stated they had no objections to the interpreters, the judicial panel, the defense attorneys, or the prosecution.
During the proceedings, the defendants filed several motions, including requests for clarification on the appeals, the participation of a representative from the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights (Ombudsman) of the Republic of Azerbaijan, and the summoning of additional witnesses. Prosecutor Sevinc Gasimova argued against these motions, noting that the Ombudsman's office is not a party to the criminal proceedings and that sufficient witness testimony had already been gathered during the preliminary investigation and the first-instance trial. The prosecution emphasized that the motions appeared to be an attempt to unnecessarily prolong the judicial process.
Following a deliberation, the judicial panel announced that the defense's motions were partially granted. The appellate review is scheduled to continue on June 9.
For context, the Baku Military Court delivered its verdict on February 5, 2026. Arayik Harutyunyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, David Manukyan, Davit Ishkhanyan, and David Babayan were sentenced to life imprisonment. Other defendants received lengthy prison terms ranging from 15 to 20 years for their roles in the crimes committed against Azerbaijan during the period of occupation and the subsequent conflict.
