A preparatory hearing for the trial of Ruben Vardanyan, a citizen of Armenia, who is charged with torture, mercenary activity, violation of the laws and customs of war, terrorism, financing terrorism, and other articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, was also held, APA reports.
Ruben Vardanyan was provided with a defense attorney of his choice and a Russian translator.
After explaining to Ruben Vardanyan the requirements of the legislation, including his rights and obligations as an accused, as well as the right to object, the presiding judge, Zeynal Aghayev, asked Vardanyan whether he had a motion.
R. Vardanyan and his defense attorney, who provided legal assistance on a contractual basis, filed two motions.
One of them was to join the criminal case against R. Vardanyan with the case against 15 people of Armenian origin accused of committing serious crimes against the Azerbaijani people and consider it in one proceeding, and the other motion was to grant the accused additional time to familiarize himself with the materials of the criminal case.
The prosecutor defending the state prosecution expressed his objection to the motion to join the criminal cases into one proceeding and asked the court not to grant it, but to grant the motion to grant additional time to familiarize himself with the criminal case.
According to the Criminal Procedural Legislation of the Republic of Azerbaijan, this motion was not granted by the court, since it is not envisaged to join criminal cases into one proceeding during the trial.
Although R. Vardanyan was given sufficient time during the preliminary investigation to familiarize himself with the criminal case materials in the language he knew and to prepare for his defense, the court, taking into account the request of the accused, made a decision to grant the motion and gave him an additional 10 days to familiarize himself with the case materials.
The prosecution also did not object to the additional time being given to the accused to familiarize himself with the case materials.
The court's preparatory hearing will continue on January 27.
It should be noted that Ruben Vardanyan is accused of committing acts under Articles 100 (planning and waging a war of aggression), 107 (deportation or forcible transfer of the population), 109 (persecution), 112 (deprivation of liberty contrary to international law), 113 (torture), 114 (mercenary), 115 (violation of the laws and customs of war), 116 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflict), 214 (terrorism), 214-1 (financing terrorism) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
He is also accused of committing acts stipulated in Articles 218 (creation of a criminal association (organization)), 228 (illegal acquisition, transfer, sale, storage, transportation and carrying of weapons, their components, ammunition, explosives and devices), 270-1 (acts threatening aviation safety), 278 (forcible seizure and retention of power, forcible change of the constitutional structure of the state), 279 (creation of armed formations and groups not provided for by law), 318 (illegal crossing of the state border of the Republic of Azerbaijan) and other articles of the same code.
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