Azernews.Az

Qabil Ashirov

Read more

On October 17, the regular session of the court on the criminal case of Vagif Khachatryan, who is accused of committing massacres in Meshali village of Khojaly district as part of illegal Armenian armed groups, was conducted.

In the process, lawyer Natig Beybalayev, applied to the court to refuse Vagif Khachatryan's defense due to his health, and his application was accepted. Vagif Khachatryan was provided with another lawyer, Radmila Abdulova.

Vagif Khachatryan's statement to the investigation was announced in the court.

In his testimony to the investigation, he said that he was born in Badara village of Askeran district in 1955. He has been registered and lived in that village, he is married and has three daughters. He has two brothers and one sister in the family. His sister and brother Garnik are dead.

Vagif Khachatryan said that in 1973 he graduated from the three-month military school. In 1974-1976, he was in military service in the ranks of the former Soviet army, and then he started working as a driver in the agrarian-industrial department in the city of 'Stepanakert' (Khankendi). In September 1992, after Robert Kocharyan became the head of the Garabagh Committee, he was called to serve by mobilization from the 'Stepanakert' (Khankendi) city military commissariat under the name of Armenian self-defense until the age of 50-55.

In this regard, Vagif Khachatryan went to the military commissariat together with about 100 residents of Badara village and registered, and after returning to the village, the conscripts were divided into three groups with 33 people in each group.

Later, he was taken to Noragüh village of Askeran district by the soldiers of the military commissariat.

After conducting military training there, in mid-September 1992, the group with Vagif Khachatryan was taken to the heights of Farrukh mountain and assigned to serve at the post there. Khachatryan said that there were no battles with Azerbaijanis around Mount Farrukh during his service, and he did not participate in those battles.

He said that he was brought to the Khankendi city hospital in early October 1992, where he was treated for about 20 days, because he had a cold in the kidneys and intestines while serving at the post. Then he was discharged from service due to his illness. As a civilian, he started working as a laborer in the rear security service, in the food warehouse located in the village of Noragüh, Askeran district.

It should be noted that Vagif Khachatryan is accused of killing 25 Azerbaijanis, injuring 14 people, and displacing 358 Azerbaijanis from their legal place of residence in Meshali village of Khojaly district in December 1991.

In addition, Vagif Khachatryan did not commit these crimes alone; there were other accomplices with him. Those persons are residents of the Badara village of Khojaly district Emest Bakhshiyevich Sarkisyan, Armais Bakhshiyevich Sarkisyan, Benik Astanovic Gasparyan, Khoren Melikovich Abramyan, Armen Sarkisovich Avanesyan, Vova Armaisovich Sarkisyan Gari Nikolayevich Khachaturian, Nikolai Beglarovich Kachaturyan, Armen Karagenovich Abramyan, Armenovitch Abramyan, Zina Armenovich Abramyan, Vahid Armenovich Abramyan, Karen Ashotovich Ohanyan, Naorik Ashotovich Ohanyan, Gurgen Benikovich Gasparyan, Valery Benkovic Gasparyan, Albert Melikovich Davidyan, Samvel Rafikovich Sahakyan, Asatur Bakhshiyevich Osipyan, Karlen Bakhshiyevich Khachatryan, Eduard Beglarovich Israelyan, Artur Vartanovich Avakyan, Surik Armaisovich Sarkisyan, as well as Verdi Allahverdiyan, Vilen Verdiyan, Grisha Magishovich, Slavik Ardemovich, Gavrusha Zadurovich, Ruben, Andronik are persons whose identities are unknown to the investigation.

With the aim of committing those criminal acts, Vagif Khachatryan, together with the abovementioned members of the illegal armed military units, actively participated in creating national hatred and enmity between the Azerbaijani and Armenian nations, humiliating the national dignity of Azerbaijanis, restricting their rights due to their nationality, and taking actions aimed at the supremacy of Armenians. Starting from the summer of 1988, he organized systematic attacks on Azerbaijanis going from Meshali village of Khojaly (former Asgaran) district to Agdam and Khoja Khankendi cities, beat them, insulted them, threatened to kill them, destroyed their property and other actions aimed at their physical destruction committed.

Also, in the indictment, the names of the Azerbaijani policemen and military personnel who were killed by Armenians for helping to evacuate civilians from the siege in Meshali village of Khojaly district were announced.

It was reported that on December 23, 1991, Rustamov Hidayat Eldar oglu, born on August 19, 1970, was sent to the Meshali police station from the Agdam district police (former militia) department to help the besieged civilians. Born on June 06, 1969, Agayev Faig Alish oghlu, soldier of the 701st (former 18110) military unit of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Lieutenant Eyyubov Kamil Baba, born on October 13, 1964, soldier Gonagov, born on July 9, 1961 Son of Musal Mirzaga and a fighter of the volunteer self-defense unit, born on June 28, 1961, Azimov Tahir Eyyub son Vagif Khachatryan and other members of the Armenian military units were killed.

Vagif Khachatryan's torture of Azerbaijanis was also included in the indictment.

It is stated in the indictment that Vagif Khachatryan together with 5 other members of the illegal armed military units unknown to the investigation came to the cell where Mammad Kazımov and Zakir Novruzov of Meshali village, who had come to the Khankendi (then Stepanakert) for driving examines and had been illegally arrested in November 1988, and insulted them in Armenian and said that it had to exterminate Azerbaijanis. He punched and kicked detainees and hit them on the face, head and other parts of the body, then he continued to beat them because he didn't get an answer by asking who owns Garabagh, and plunging the tip of his knife between legs of detainees, he said, "it is necessary to cut your organs that you [Azerbaijanis] would not bring forth a generation.” He stabbed in the scrotum of Mammad Kazimov, and because of the impact of the blow, Mammad Kazimov used abusive words to Vagif Khachatryan in Armenian. Following the abusive words, Vagif Khachatryan cut several wounds on Kazimov’s body and said: "let his blood flow until he dies like a dog".

However, Vagif Khachatryan announced that he was not guilty.

---

Qabil Ashirov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @g_Ashirov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz