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Captured Armenian scout: Nagorno-Karabakh must be returned, no other option to live peacefully

04 May 2015 16:08 (UTC +04:00)

Ganja. Azer Mammadli – APA. The Ganja Court on Grave Crimes resumed Monday afternoon the hearing on the case of Bagdasaryan Arsen Edwardovich, an Armenian scout who had been captured by Azerbaijani soldiers while attempting to cross the Aghdam part of the contact line of troops on December 26, 2014.

Bagdasaryan’s lawyer Ramiz Abdullayev made a speech at the hearing presided over by judge Elbey Allahverdiyev, asking to remove the charge that the Armenian scout faces under the article 228 (29,282.2) (illegal purchase, transfer, selling, storage, transportation or carrying of fire-arms, accessories to it, supplies) from the criminal case.

The lawyer said that Bagdasaryan confessed to having carried weapons, but there is no evidence in the criminal case, adding that his defendant agrees with the charges against him.

Later on, Bagdasaryan said his last word in court, stressing that he longs for a peaceful life with neighboring Azerbaijan as 20 years ago. He pointed out the return of Nagorno-Karabakh as the only solution, saying there is no other option to live peacefully.

The convict also said Armenia deceives everyone. “We’ve been brought up with hatred against Azerbaijan. But I saw no sign of hatred here. The Azerbaijanis could kill me if they wanted to. But they did not torture me at all,” he stressed, adding that he had been instructed by a colonel. “He told me to go and place the landmines, and warned that a criminal case would be opened against me if don’t. He told me it was a military obligation upon me to fulfill that duty. After I crossed into Azerbaijan, the media released misinformation about me having a criminal case there and being a traitor. These all are a lie,” he noted.

Bagdasaryan accepted his guilt and pleaded to the court to impose a minimum penalty on him.

A judgment will be announced at tomorrow’s hearing.

Note that, the public prosecutor made a speech this morning at the hearing.

Prosecutor Anar Mirkishiyev called for 18-year-imprisonment in maximum security prison for Bagdasaryan.

Note that, professional serviceman Bagdasaryan Arsen Edwardovich, who is a member of an Armenian reconnaissance-sabotage group, was captured by Azerbaijani soldiers while attempting to cross the Aghdam part of the contact line of troops on 26 December 2014 and handed over to law enforcement agencies, according to the Republican Military Prosecutor’s Office.

The Military Prosecutor’s Office launched a criminal case under the Criminal Code’s articles 29,120.2.7, 29,120.2.12 and 29,282.2.

The Military Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Azerbaijan told APA that the investigation into the fact discovered that senior sergeant A.E. Bagdasaryan who underwent special training in Armenia has served under contract as the first platoon commander of the reconnaissance detachment at military unit 49971 under an armed criminal formation located in the Azerbaijani district of Aghdere occupied by Armenian armed forces.

He was instructed by the commander of the military unit (he has been identified) to kill Azerbaijani citizens with the intention of national hostility and hatred, and to cross to the defense positions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces to place mines in order to cause explosions in the trenches with the purpose of damaging Azerbaijan’s defense capabilities. On this purpose, Bagdasaryan alongside other members of the criminal group (their names has been identified) crossed the contact line of troops in a secrete way at around 3:00 PM 26 Dec. 2014. They are convicted of placing 3 of the 7 Fugas antipersonnel mines he had in the trench paths frequently used by Azerbaijani soldiers. Thanks to the Azerbaijani soldiers' vigilance, Bagdasaryan was captured on his way back, and mines neutralized.

Necessary investigative measures were then taken, the knife and other items seized from Bagdasaryan as well as one of the mine placed in the ground and the place were two of the mines were neutralized by exploding inspected, forensic medical, complex forensic psychiatric and psychological, etc. examination conducted, witnesses questioned.

Bagdasaryan is charged under the Criminal Code’s articles 218.2 (participation in criminal community), 29,120.2.1 (attempt to a deliberate murder by group of persons, on preliminary arrangement by group of persons, by organized group or criminal community), 29,120.2.7 (attempt to a deliberate murder of two or more persons), 29,120.2.12 (attempt to a deliberate murder on motive of national, racial, religious hatred or enmity), 29,282.2 (attempt to commitment of explosion, arson or other actions directed on destruction or damage of enterprises, constructions, means of communication, means of message and communication, objects of life-support of a population with a view of undermining defensibility and economic safety of the Azerbaijan Republic) and was sentenced to pretrial detention.