Former Artsakh Presidents Bako Sahakian and Arkady Ghukasian, who are part of sham trial being staged in Baku, boldly rejected the charges brought against them by Azerbaijani prosecutors and said that Artsakh’s right to self-determination cannot be part of any criminal or judicial proceeding.
Speaking at a military court in Baku, where he and other Artsakh leaders are facing bogus charges, Sahakyan reiterated what he said during the preliminary investigation, that the Artsakh issue cannot be tried in a court of law, said Artsakh Parliament member Tigran Abrahamyan in a social media post on Saturday.
“To put it briefly and simply, the president says that based on the relevant articles of the USSR Constitution, the goals and principles enshrined in the UN Charter, the Artsakh movement that began in 1988 and the desire for the right to self-determination were the legitimate right of the people of Artsakh,” Sahakian said in court, according to Abrahamyan.
Sahakyan reportedly rejected the charges brought against him, and insisted in court that he and the other prisoners of war accused under this article did not commit any illegal, criminally punishable acts.
Similarly, Gukasian, Artsakh’s second president, also rejected the charges brought against him by Azerbaijani prosecutors, saying that the defense operation during the 44-Day War arose from guaranteeing security, which he said is considered legitimate.
At the same time Ghukasian denied the Azerbaijani accusations that there were mercenaries brought from outside in Artsakh.
Ghukasyan also referred to the discussions about stopping the war in the early stage, noting that he and Sahakian met with then Artsakh president, Arayik Harutyunyan, in essence, to urge the Armenian government to do everything to stop the war.
