More than 100,000 Armenians fled Nagorno-Karabakh in a few days after the lightning offensive launched by Azerbaijan on September 19, which led to the fall of the separatist enclave. But the forces in Baku did not let everyone go: eight former leaders of the former self-proclaimed republic were arrested and have been detained ever since in the Azerbaijani capital.
Among them are three ex-presidents of the former self-proclaimed republic: Arayik Haroutiounian, who led the separatist territory since May 2020 before resigning on 1er september ; Arkadi Ghoukassian, president from 1997 to 2007, and Bako Sahakian, who held this position from 2007 to 2020.
The last head of Parliament, Davit Ichkhanian, was also arrested, as well as David Babayan, former Minister of Foreign Affairs and advisor to the President, General Davit Manoukian, the former Minister of Defense (2015-2018) Levon Mnatsakanian , and the billionaire investment banker Ruben Vardanian, short-lived minister of state (from November 2022 to February 2023).
Priceless prize of war
These arrests marked Baku’s desire to quickly and firmly regain control of this disputed enclave, until now populated mainly by Armenians, but considered by international law as belonging to Azerbaijan.
These eight former officials will have to answer for criminal activities, announced the Azerbaijani government news agency APA. Arayik Haroutiounian, commander-in-chief of the separatist armed forces during the forty-four-day war in fall 2020, had been the subject of an arrest warrant from Baku since he admitted ordering a missile strike in October 2020 , on the second largest city of Azerbaijan, Ganja.
David Babayan was the subject of twenty-five different charges for “separatism” and “terrorism”. Among the former leaders arrested, some are also accused of having committed war crimes during the first war for control of the enclave (1988-1994), which ended in the humiliating defeat of Azerbaijan. against Armenia.
Baku, which is now taking its revenge with the total recapture of Nagorno-Karabakh, considers that having served in the former self-proclaimed republic is a crime. After more than thirty years of existence, this political entity – whose independence, proclaimed in 1991, no one has ever recognized, not even Armenia – was dissolved on September 28.
For Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, the capture of these former leaders is an invaluable prize of war. “It’s a personal revenge, and a way to strengthen his image in his country, explains Benyamin Poghosian, researcher at the Applied Policy Research Institute think tank in Yerevan. Their trial, the date of which has not been set but which will be public, will be an opportunity to say, in essence: “Now you will suffer”. »
You have 55% of this article left to read. The rest is reserved for subscribers.