Court in Armenia sentences ex-Nagorno-Karabakh army commander to 5.5 years in prison

The Criminal Court of Syunik region of Armenia passed a sentence on the former commander of the defense army of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR), Lieutenant General Jalal Harutyunyan. The defendant was sentenced to 5.5 years in prison, the court's press service reported on February 7.

The court concluded that Harutyunyan committed official negligence during military operations in 2020, which led to the death of the military.

His defense noted that the military officer does not agree with the accusation, he does not admit his guilt. As "Sputnik Armenia" agency adds , the prosecutors demanded six years in prison for the military officer, while the parents of the soldiers killed in the war, recognized as victims, insisted on eight years of imprisonment.

Before that, on January 17, it was reported that the trial of 16 representatives of the former leadership of Nagorno-Karabakh started in Azerbaijan. The cases are in the proceedings of the Baku military court. The defendants are charged with war crimes, terrorism and financing of terrorism, murder, creation of illegal armed groups and other episodes.

Earlier, on January 9, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan offered Azerbaijan to give up mutual claims. He presented a list of proposals "on establishing long-term stability in the world and the region." The day before, Pashinyan revealed that Yerevan had sent Baku proposals on two unagreed points of the draft peace treaty.

On October 23, 2024, it became known that the Armenian National Assembly ratified the provisions on border delimitation with Azerbaijan in the first reading. Sixty-seven deputies voted in favor of adopting the draft. They assume that disputes between the republics will be resolved not militarily or by force, but on a special platform.

The relations between the two countries have been aggravated, among other things, against the backdrop of disputed ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh. On October 5, 2023, Pashinyan signed a declaration recognizing Azerbaijan's borders, which included Nagorno-Karabakh.