The prosecutor’s office of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic reports that the identity of an Azerbaijani serviceman who killed a 65-year-old civilian Seyran Sargsyan in Nagorno-Karabakh has been discovered. On December 3, it was reported that the man was engaged in animal husbandry, lost his way, and ended up in the territory controlled by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. He was detained by the servicemen of Azerbaijan, taken to the position where the armed forces were stationed, and killed there.
The Azerbaijani side did not refute this information but stated that the shot was fired by the serviceman after he was attacked while on duty at one of the positions of the Azerbaijani army.
However, on December 4, the Armenian side reported additional details, which became known during the investigation. It has been reported that the killed man did not get lost, but was forcibly abducted from the territory which is considered a neutral zone. Moreover, there are “convincing and irrefutable facts, including the video, proving the commission of premeditated murder”.
The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported that a serviceman who was on duty at one of the positions of the Azerbaijani army in the Khojavend region was attacked by a person of Armenian origin on December 3 at about 13:00:
“[This] person tried to seize a weapon. After shooting in the air, with the aim of self-defense Azerbaijani serviceman neutralized the provocateur who had attacked him. The incident was reported to the Command of the Russian peacekeeping forces and the Russian-Turkish Joint Monitoring Center. The investigation is underway”.
Reports from Yerevan
Armenian law enforcement agencies report that there is irrefutable evidence of the murder of a civilian and they will be transferred to the Russian side for a full investigation of the circumstances of the incident.
However, at that moment, in cooperation with the prosecutor’s office of the peacekeeping forces of Russia, it turned out that “the murder of the citizen of Artsakh was committed by the citizen of Azerbaijan, private Rahimzade David Gabil oglu”.
As part of the agreement reached between the Prosecutors General of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, the prosecutor of the Russian peacekeeping contingent arrived at the scene. He has already had the opportunity to meet witnesses of the incident from the Azerbaijani side and talked with Rakhimzade.
It is also reported that at this moment “the possibility of holding a working meeting with the leadership of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan and Armenia” is being considered with the mediation of the Russian side.
All Armenian publications remind that this is the third case of the murder of a civilian since November 10, 2020, that is, since the establishment of the ceasefire in Karabakh.
Statement of Foreign Ministry
The press secretary of the Armenian Foreign Ministry Vahan Hunanyan made a statement in which he condemned the killing of a civilian by the Azerbaijani servicemen:
“It is noteworthy that the attacks and acts of intimidation against the Armenian civilian population of Artsakh have systemic manner, which is due to the baseless justification by the official Baku of similar crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces, leading to repetition of such behavior.
“The recent atrocities committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces against the civilian population of Artsakh are a continuation of the policy of Armenophobia, annihilation and ethnic cleansing of Armenians of Artsakh by the Azerbaijani authorities, which once again proves that guaranteeing the physical security and the right to life of the Armenians of Artsakh is impossible under the Azerbaijani jurisdiction.
“Proper investigation of this and previous attacks on civilian population and bringing the perpetrators to justice can create preconditions for the prevention of such crimes in the future”.
The Foreign Ministry of the unrecognized NKR also condemned the “terrorist policy of Azerbaijan” and called on the international community to adequately assess the actions of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces. The ministry’s statement says that Baku’s policy sent “a treacherous blow to the peacekeeping mission of Russia”.
