On July 21, the Baku Court of Appeal continued hearing the appeals filed by former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former Presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, former National Assembly Speaker David Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, and other defendants.
According to the report, each participant in the appeal proceedings was provided with interpreters in Armenian and Russian, the languages they speak, as well as legal counsel.
Representatives of the “victims,” along with prosecutors representing the state prosecution—Abbas Abbasli, head of a division within the Prosecutor General’s Office’s Department for Public Prosecution, and prosecutors Anar Alekberov and Sevinj Gasimova from the same department—attended the hearing, APA reported.
At the beginning of the session, presiding judge Elmar Rahimov stated that the judicial panel had considered the defense's motion requesting private consultations with the defendants and had reached a decision on the matter.
The court then noted that both the defense and the representatives of the victims had already delivered their closing arguments. In accordance with procedural rules, the floor was then given to the prosecutors representing the state.
The prosecutors argued that “the body of evidence presented during the trial confirms the validity of the charges brought against the defendants and demonstrates that the conclusions reached by the court of first instance are consistent with the evidence examined in the criminal case.”
The next court hearing has been scheduled for July 24.
Under the ruling issued by the Baku Military Court on February 5, 2026, Arayik Harutyunyan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, David Manukyan, David Ishkhanyan and David Babayan were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Arkadi Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan were sentenced to 20 years in prison; Madat Babayan and Melikset Pashayan to 19 years; Garik Martirosyan to 18 years; David Allahverdyan and Levon Balayan to 16 years; and Vasiliy Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan and Erik Ghazaryan to 15 years in prison.
