Davit Babayan and Levon Mnatsakanyan delivered their final statements in court
In a Baku court, the trial of former Artsakh leaders Davit Babayan and Levon Mnatsakanyan continues. They were given the opportunity for a final statement, during which they rejected the charges brought against them.
Davit Babayan, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Artsakh, stated clearly: “I do not consider myself guilty under any article.” He explained that the accusations against them are false.
He was followed by Levon Mnatsakanyan, the former Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, who delivered his speech in Russian for personal convenience and to make his words accessible to others. He rejected three primary accusations:
Regarding Mercenaries: The Baku court claimed that mercenaries (individuals fighting for money) had fought on the Armenian side. Mnatsakanyan simply replied: “They were all volunteers. No one recruited them, and they received no remuneration. They fought of their own free will, for the fatherland.”
Regarding the Eyewitness: In a previous session, a man named Ilham Mammadov claimed that Armenian soldiers, particularly one named Levon, had beaten and tortured him. He even pointed at Mnatsakanyan in court, saying he remembered him. Levon Mnatsakanyan responded calmly: “Mammadov was not tortured.”
Regarding the 2016 Battles: The prosecution claimed that in April 2016, Armenian forces had attacked Azerbaijani positions. Mnatsakanyan, who was the army commander at the time, denied this: “We did not attack their positions.”
This trial is perceived as sham, and a new chain of indictments is expected to be published during today’s proceedings.