Prosecutors in Baku have found Karabakh officials guilty of involvement in the conflict.

The guilt of the former leaders of the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in crimes committed over 35 years has been proven, the prosecution stated. The prosecutors' lengthy indictment was prepared in advance, says lawyer Siranush Sahakyan.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," the trial of former Nagorno-Karabakh officials accused of war crimes concluded in Baku on October 31. The case has sparked heated debate among people of Armenian and Azerbaijani descent on social media, both about the fairness of the trial itself and the origins of the conflict between the two countries.

Prosecutors spoke at the Baku Military Court, where the trial of 15 former leaders of the unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh continued on November 3.

Senior Assistant to the Prosecutor General Vusal Aliyev stated in his speech that he considers the guilt of the defendants in the crimes with which they are accused, which were committed between 1988 and September 20, 2023, to be fully proven. Aliyev noted that not all accomplices to these crimes, who at one time united “around ideas based on national-ethnic hatred and enmity towards the Azerbaijani people,” have appeared in court, Azertac reports.

During the hearing, prosecutors representing the prosecution summarized the facts examined during the trial and how the defendants' direct or indirect involvement in those events was proven. The next hearing is scheduled for November 6.

The prosecutors' indictments in Baku are political speeches developed by the security services and approved by the Azerbaijani presidential administration, said Siranush Sahakyan, president of the Center for International and Comparative Law.

She noted that prosecutors were supposed to prepare their indictment for November 3 after the October 31 hearing, when the court officially concluded the trial. Two of those days, November 1 and 2, were non-working days. "Prosecutors would have had to demonstrate remarkable zeal to analyze all the case materials and draft an indictment based on them over Saturday and Sunday," Sputnik Armenia quotes her as saying.

The lawyer noted that after the prosecutors, the defense must speak, after which the defendants will be able to make their final statement. However, despite the fact that the trial is not yet complete, she believes guilty verdicts are predictable. Sahakyan believes the court will impose the harshest possible sentences on the defendants, up to life imprisonment.