'I was mainly beaten by Khosrovyan,' victim says at court hearing - UPDATED -2

The court trial on the case of Armenian servicemen Ludwig Mkrtichyan and Khosrovyan Alyosha Aramaisovich continued in the administrative building of the Yasamal District Court. The two are charged with subjecting Azerbaijanis captured during the First Karabakh War to brutal torture.

According to Report, the victims gave testimony in a trial chaired by Judge Elbay Allahverdiyev.

During the interrogation, victim Habib Kazimov said that he was sent to military service from Sumgayit in 1992 and was captured by the Armenian military during the fighting in 1993. Later he was taken to Shusha prison:

"Because I am from Sumgayit, I have been repeatedly tortured by Khosrovyan Alyosha Aramaisovich. They took me to Khankandi for treatment but also beat me there. I know these two people from Shusha prison. We had a friend named Sardar, who was killed there. We have been tortured many times near the Shusha prison. I was in captivity for one year and nine months, and I saw Ludwig and Alyosha there for one year and two months; both were in military uniform. Khosrovyan beat me the most, with a truncheon, boots. We were kept hungry and thirsty. We were badly beaten during the opening of the monument to the person they considered a hero. "

Another victim, Zaur Rzayev, later gave testimonies. He said that he was sent to military service from Saatli region in 1992 and was captured by the military in 1994 during the battles in the Aghdam region:

"I was unconscious. When I woke up, I was in Khankandi and had a bullet wound in my right shoulder. We were employed as workers on the pig farm of the then "defense minister" of the separatist regime, Samvel Babayan. We were beaten with fittings, submachine guns, and they pressed heated iron on our bodies. Forty captives were beaten and tortured and left starving on the farm. When we were in captivity, Armenian children of 8th to 9th grades were brought to kick and insult us. I saw Ludwig Mkrtichyan mostly in the Khojavand region.

The next court hearing is scheduled for June 23.

10.22

The court trial on the case of Armenian servicemen Ludwig Mkrtichyan and Khosrovyan Alyosha Aramaisovich will continue in the administrative building of the Yasamal District Court. The two are charged with subjecting Azerbaijanis captured during the First Karabakh War to brutal torture.

According to Report, the victims are expected to testify in a trial chaired by Judge Elbay Allahverdiyev.

The investigation established that an Azerbaijani citizen taken hostage in July 1991 in a forest called "Ballija" near Khojaly city followed by unlawful restriction of liberty, and a civilian taken hostage in Tapgaragoyunlu village, Goranboy district on September 13, 1999 and brought to Yerevan city, the Republic of Armenia, who was detained in one of the military units in the city and acted as an interpreter during the interrogation by the Armenian special services, were tortured by Mkrtchyan Ludwig Mkrtichovich, a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, born in 1969, who upon prior conspiracy entered into criminal relations with a group of individuals participating in the activities of the armed groups consisting of nationalist Armenians living in the Nagorno-Karabakh region, as well as coming from the Republic of Armenia.

The investigation also revealed that 11 Azerbaijani citizens taken captives, at different times were beaten and exposed to various tortures in Khojavend and Aghdara districts, Shusha prison, and Yerevan city. Struck by automatic gunfire, a serviceman of the N military unit, Defense Ministry, was killed.

Ludwig Mkrtichyan was detained by the servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on October 20, 2020, in the territory of Malikjanli village, Fuzuli district.

Investigative measures carried out also exposed the criminal acts by Khosrovyan Alyosha Aramaisovich, a citizen of the Republic of Armenia, born in 1967, who together with Ludwig Mkrtichyan brutally treated and tortured Azerbaijanis.

It was revealed that Alyosha Khosrovyan tortured 5 Azerbaijanis during their captivity and subjected them to cruel and inhumane treatment.

Thus, a former soldier of the military unit N of the Ministry of Defense taken prisoner in April 1994 was exposed to cruel and inhumane treatment by Khosrovyan Alyosha Aramaisovich. During his illegal detention in one of the houses in Mysmina (Aghbulag) village, Khojavand district, he was forced to do heavy construction work of a house for the so-called Minister of Defense of the "Nagorno-Karabakh Republic" Babayan Samvel Andranikovich and inflicted various bodily injuries.

Alyosha Khosrovyan also demonstrated special cruelty to soldiers of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces, who were taken captives in 1993-1994 and illegally detained in the Shusha city prison. He tortured them by exposing to regular beatings, starving, and inflicting mental anguish and physical pain.

Khosrovyan Alyosha was detained by servicemen of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on October 3, 2020 while conducting reconnaissance operations in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan.

There are well-founded suspicions that Ludwig Mkrtichyan and Alyosha Khosrovyan committed crimes provided by Articles 113 (torture), 115.2 (violation of war laws and customs), 279.1 (creation of armed formations or groups not provided by law), 318.2 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and other articles of the Criminal Code. Therefore, they were charged with these articles, and by court decisions arrest as a measure of restraint was chosen against them.

On 20.05.2021 the indictment on the criminal case was approved and sent to Baku Military Court for consideration.