Azerbaijani military expert faces trial over state secret disclosure

PanARMENIAN.Net - Azerbaijan has initiated legal proceedings against military expert Adalat Verdiyev, who is accused of revealing state secrets by sharing a video from Nagorno-Karabakh on social media during a media tour on November 22.

The preliminary hearing took place at the Nasimi District Court, presided over by Judge Babek Panakhov, where Verdiyev's personal details were confirmed. The court decided to conduct subsequent sessions behind closed doors, citing the presence of state secrets in the case materials. The trial is scheduled to continue on March 19.

Verdiyev was detained in November 2024. According to the General Prosecutor's Office, on November 22, during a media tour of territories under Azerbaijani control, Verdiyev, who previously served as an officer in the Azerbaijani Armed Forces and was then the head of the Civil Defense Staff at the Public Health and Reforms Center of the Ministry of Health, allegedly caused significant harm to national security and defense capabilities.

The investigation revealed that during the media tour, Verdiyev recorded a video showcasing the heights of Azerbaijani Armed Forces combat positions, border troop locations, their coordinates, and the operational situation. He then posted this video on his social media account, making it accessible to an unlimited number of users. Consequently, he was charged with disclosing information containing state secrets, and the court ordered his detention as a preventive measure.

In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched a large-scale attack on Nagorno-Karabakh, subjecting the region to intense artillery shelling. As a result, on September 20, the authorities of the Republic of Artsakh accepted the Russian peacekeeping mission's proposal for a ceasefire, agreeing to Baku's terms, which included the disarmament of the Defense Army and the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh. Starting from September 24, forced displacement of Armenians from Nagorno-Karabakh began, with over 100,000 people relocating to Armenia. Reports indicate that approximately 20 Armenians remain in Nagorno-Karabakh. On September 28, President Samvel Shahramanyan signed a decree on the dissolution of the Republic of Artsakh, which came into effect on January 1, 2024.