The sentences of Karabakh leaders have provoked outrage among the Armenian opposition.

The life sentences and lengthy prison terms for Karabakh's military-political leadership, handed down today by the Baku Military Court, were made possible by the inaction of the Armenian authorities, opposition representatives assert. The trial is illegitimate, and the sentences are inconsistent with the logic of the peace process, according to the representative of Armenian prisoners at the ECHR.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on February 5, former Nagorno-Karabakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, Foreign Minister Davit Babayan, former Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan and his deputy Davit Manukyan, and former Parliament Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan were sentenced to life imprisonment by a military court in Baku.

Ten convicted sentenced to lengthy terms

At the Baku Military Court, judges continued to announce the verdict in the trial of Armenian citizens accused of war crimes against Azerbaijan, Report reports today.

The presidents of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, Arkady Ghukasyan and Bako Sahakyan, were sentenced to 20 years in prison. Madat Babayan has been sentenced to 19 years in prison.

These individuals were charged with crimes punishable by life imprisonment, and the charges were confirmed during the trial. However, due to the fact that they have reached the age of 65 before the final verdict is rendered, they cannot be sentenced to life imprisonment in accordance with the requirements of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the publication says.

Along with this, Melikset Pashayan, who served in the armed forces of the Republic of Armenia, was sentenced to 19 years, State Minister of Karabakh Garik Martirosyan - to 18 years, member of the Security Council Davit Allahverdyan and member of the formations Levon Balayan - to 16 years, Vasily Beglaryan, Gurgen Stepanyan, Erik Ghazaryan - to 15 years in prison each.

They were found guilty of committing crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes as a result of Armenia's military aggression, including the preparation and waging of an aggressive war, genocide, violation of the laws and rules of war, as well as terrorism, financing terrorism, violent seizure of power, violent retention of power, and numerous other crimes, the publication clarifies.

Armenian politicians expressed the opinion that the lengthy sentences were expected

Former Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan, commenting on the sentences of Karabakh leaders, stated that "this is disturbing and deserves condemnation, but, on the other hand, there is nothing unexpected; the court satisfied the prosecutor's request." News.am quoted Beglaryan as saying.

"Frankly, I expected nothing less. The only question is, what will be the next steps? First, will the Armenians appeal? Second, are the Azerbaijani authorities currently planning to release some of them, perhaps through pardon or amnesty? They usually release Armenians who have undergone rigged trials and are already serving their sentences, and it's possible that this is also related to US Vice President Vance's visit, at least in part," News.am quoted Beglaryan as saying.

He noted that matters should not have come to this, and if they have, then every effort must be made to ensure the speedy release of the prisoners. "The grounds for this have long been there; we just need to conduct proper diplomacy," he said.

Siranush Sahakyan, representing the interests of Armenian prisoners at the ECHR, stated regarding the life sentences handed down today that the decisions were in line with her expectations.

"Moreover, fair trial guarantees were openly violated during the trials. That is, no attempts were made to ensure even formal guarantees. It is absolutely clear that we are dealing with illegitimate court decisions. I think the Armenian side should be able to challenge these decisions and procedures in international courts," she said.

According to Sahakyan, these judicial decisions do not fit into the logic of the peace process. "Peace must strengthen trust between peoples and nations, eliminate factors that have generated hatred for years, and any process that is illegal and could generate additional hatred must simply be excluded," she concluded.

Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan at his trial today accused the Armenian leadership of involvement in the fact that today the Azerbaijani authorities succeeded in sentencing the former military-political leadership of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic to lengthy prison terms, including life imprisonment.

"Today in the Baku court, the military-political leadership of Artsakh was sentenced to life imprisonment. This is a disgrace to the entire socio-political thought that is involved in this - our brothers were sentenced. This is primarily aimed at our collective existence, whether we have the right to exist or not," he said in court.

Today, activists in front of the National Assembly of Armenia Opposition members held a protest. Participants brought photographs of clergy, political and public figures, and bloggers facing criminal prosecution. There were also photographs of citizens and former members of the Nagorno-Karabakh leadership. "Freedom of speech in Armenia is now criminalized. People who speak out against the current authorities are imprisoned. The international community must clearly assess this. It is extremely important to remember all those who are currently illegally held in prison," said Garnik Danielyan, a member of parliament from the opposition bloc "Armenia," at the protest.