Prosecutor General's Office issues statement about fighting of mercenaries on Armenian side

The Prosecutor General's Office has obtained credible evidence that Armenia commits various crimes against the Republic of Azerbaijan's civilian population and that foreign mercenaries have been participating in these crimes.

Kamran Aliyev, Prosecutor General of the Republic of Azerbaijan, has addressed his colleagues directly and via diplomatic channels regarding the incidents.

According to Report, the text of the statement is as follows:​​​​

Starting from September 27th, 2020, the military-political leadership of the aggressor Armenia continues its provocative actions, flagrantly violating its obligations under the Geneva Conventions and international law in general. Densely populated areas of Azerbaijan, where strategic facilities are located or passing, including the cities of Mingachevir (Hydro Power Station) and Yevlakh (Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan oil pipeline), Ganja, Absheron, and Khizi districts situated far away from the war zones, have been subjected to heavy artillery bombardment. As a result of the Armenian military aggression, 31 civilians, including three children and nine women, were killed, 164 civilians were seriously injured, 1054 houses, 45 apartment buildings, and 142 civilian objects were destroyed. To prevent the Armenian aggression and ensure the civilian population's security, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan are carrying out effective counter-offensive operations and adequate response measures in full compliance with international humanitarian law. 

Due to the significant loss of manpower in the Armenian armed forces as a result of effective response measures of the Azerbaijani Army, the Armenian diaspora living abroad at the behest of the country's military and political leadership organizes the transportation of mercenaries to the Nagorno-Karabakh region to fight against the armed forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan. These actions jeopardizing international security are inconsistent with international law and are considered a crime under either Azerbaijani or national legislation of foreign countries.

I state that upon two facts, criminal cases have already been initiated by the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan under the relevant articles of the Criminal Code. Appropriate investigative operational measures are ongoing. Mutual legal assistance requests were submitted to competent authorities of countries of their citizenship. 

Furthermore, the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan continues to apply resolute criminal measures against individuals and legal entities engaged in illegal economic and other activities in our country's occupied territories. 

In the light of the preceding, on behalf of the Prosecutor General's Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan, I once again state and warn that within the framework of international law norms and criminal legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, resolute measures will be taken concerning mercenaries who upon the calls of the military-political leadership of Armenia, its armed forces, diaspora organizations operating abroad, as well as of the so-called regime travel to Nagorno-Karabakh and take part in the hostilities. Adequate measures will also be taken against individuals and legal entities engaged in illegal economic and other activities in Azerbaijan's occupied territories.

I vigorously call on the competent authorities of foreign countries to take effective, preventive, and urgent measures to prevent such illegal actions.