Azernews.Az

"Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs again spreads misinformation. The mentioned 68-year-old person, Vagif Cherkezovich Khachaturyan, is an internationally wanted fugitive of Meshali massacre, Khojaly," Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry Spokesperson, Aykhan Hajizade wrote on Twitter in response to Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ani Badalya's false information.

"It is unfortunate that instead of apologising and helping to bring war criminals into justice, Armenian officials still try to justify illegal actions, including the abuse of ICRC facilitation for deviation from the trial. Moreover, spokesperson of Armenian Foreign Ministry, who refers to international law and the international humanitarian law, is unaware that the Lachin Checkpoint has been established by Azerbaijan in its sovereign territories, and no one can judge its legitimacy. The International Court of Justice has also rejected this claim by Armenia," Hajizade tweeted.

Note that Vagif Khachaturyan, internationally wanted fugitive of Meshali massacre of December 22, 1991, was detained by the military personnel of the State Border Service at the Lachin border crossing point of the Azerbaijan-Armenia state border while trying to go to the Republic of Armenia for treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The investigation established Vagif Khachaturyan, an Azerbaijani citizen (born in 1955), a native of the village of Badara, Askeran region, who lived in this village and worked as a driver at the city motor transport enterprise in Khankendi, together with other persons of Armenian nationality, committed an armed attack in Meshali village with the use of various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, as a result of which 25 people of Azerbaijani nationality were killed, 14 people received injuries of varying severity, 358 people were forcibly evicted from their places of legal residence.

In addition, Vagif Cherkazovich Khachaturyan, continuing joint criminal actions with persons with whom he had previously colluded, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, caused material damage in the total amount of 5,496,900 manats.

On November 12, 2013, a decision was made to bring Khachaturyan Vagif Cherkezovich as a defendant under Articles 103 (genocide) and 107 (deportation or forced relocation of the population) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, but the investigation did not know his whereabouts. By a court decision, a measure of restraint in the form of arrest was chosen against him with an announcement on the international wanted list.

As a result of search activities, on July 29, 2023, Vagif Khachaturyan was detained by the servicemen of the State Border Service of Azerbaijan at the Lachin BCP, located on the Azerbaijani-Armenian state border, while trying to leave for the Republic of Armenia for treatment through the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Vagif Khachaturian will be provided with accommodation in a medical facility in Baku, where he will be provided with the necessary medical assistance, and conditions will be created for visiting him by representatives of the ICRC.

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