Expert: testimonies extracted in Baku lack legal weight

PanARMENIAN.Net - International law expert Ara Ghazaryan, commenting on the fabricated trials against Artsakh’s political and military leaders in Baku, stated that testimonies extracted under pressure in Baku will not be accepted in international courts, RFE/RL reports.

According to Azerbaijani state media, at a recent session of Baku’s military court, former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan allegedly claimed that the Karabakh conflict was instigated by Soviet intelligence services and that they became victims of it.

"The conflict started in 1988 with Sumgait. They are trying to frame Armenia as an aggressor since 1988, initially as an executor of Soviet intelligence operations, and later as an independent state with aggressive policies. This is a political analysis that can be made," Ghazaryan noted.

He emphasized that in the international legal system, testimonies extracted under pressure in Baku have no legal value and will not be taken seriously.

"In legal proceedings, the focus is not on what the defendant says, but on the conditions under which they say it. There are dozens of fundamental fair trial standards that must be met for such testimonies to be credible," he stated.

The expert added that international bodies will not recognize or accept these statements as credible evidence.

"They will continue to argue that these trials are illegitimate, that the testimonies were obtained under torture, and that fair trial guarantees were not ensured. Therefore, while these statements may be used internally, they cannot be capitalized upon in international platforms. They might have some use in non-public political negotiations, but in The Hague or Strasbourg courts, they will be ineffective," Ghazaryan stressed.

Azerbaijani sources previously claimed that Arayik Harutyunyan had denied issuing the order for the missile strike on Ganja during the 44-day war, stating that he lacked such authority.

Opposition MP Tigran Abrahamyan believes that Baku aims to use fabricated testimonies to justify military actions against Armenia.

"I see two main objectives: first, using these trials as an additional tool of blackmail in negotiations, pressuring Armenia into making further concessions; second, under favorable conditions, Azerbaijan could use these claims as a pretext for military operations in certain areas," Abrahamyan said.

According to him, while Azerbaijan previously portrayed Armenia as an aggressor, it is now attempting to push genocide-related accusations at the international level, while Armenia fails to counteract effectively.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, who had not previously addressed Ruben Vardanyan’s warnings, recently stated that Armenian prisoners in Baku are being administered psychoactive substances to extract statements against Armenia.

"Moreover, we have intelligence reports indicating that these individuals are being given prohibited psychoactive substances to extract testimonies aimed at escalating regional tensions. We are deeply concerned about this process," he stated.

Azerbaijani agency Azertac reports that the trial will continue on February 24, when former Artsakh President Arkadi Ghukasyan is expected to speak.

Artsakh’s former leaders are accused of serious war crimes and are being portrayed as leaders of terrorist organizations. Ruben Vardanyan's trial is being held separately, and he has been on a hunger strike for three days in protest against Azerbaijani authorities' actions.

Ruben Vardanyan is the only former Artsakh leader able to communicate through his family, stating that he is under pressure and that the testimonies attributed to him are falsified. He insists that the documents were signed under coercion.

The trial is being conducted behind closed doors, with no independent media or international observers allowed access. Even Ruben Vardanyan’s American lawyer has been denied entry to Baku, while Armenian defendants are being represented by Azerbaijani lawyers.