Social media users considered the trial of Karabakh leaders to be Baku's prerogative.

The trial of former leaders of the unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic accused of war crimes is being conducted within the framework of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan and does not require the intervention of international structures, Facebook users* stated.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," analysts called the trial of Karabakh leaders taking place in Baku a formality. They noted that international organizations, diplomats, and independent journalists are not allowed to attend the trial, and the decision on the case will be made by the office of the President of Azerbaijan.

Karabakh: Chronicle of the 2020 war and its Consequences

A "Caucasian Knot" post featuring analysts' opinions has sparked a reaction from Facebook users*. By 12:55 PM Moscow time on November 17, the two posts on this topic had received 79 and 474 comments, respectively. Many commentators considered the criminal proceedings to be Azerbaijan's internal affair, requiring no international intervention.

"The trial is being conducted within national jurisdiction, and this is a completely normal practice. Throughout the world, cases of crimes committed within a state's territory are heard by its own courts. International involvement is only brought in in exceptional cases," noted Rauf Aliyev.

International courts consider interstate disputes, not cases of specific individuals.

"International courts consider interstate disputes, not cases of specific individuals who committed crimes in a particular territory," wrote Ramin Quliyev.

"The argument about the court's 'closed' nature seems exaggerated. War crimes trials are rarely completely open—in both Europe and the United States, access restrictions are also applied quite often so as not to violate the rights of participants," said Nigar Mammadova.

"It cannot be ignored that the accused held leadership positions for many years in [...] a structure that effectively operated outside international law. This in itself makes them defendants in the criminal proceedings," wrote Arif Suleyman.

User Ilaha Karim commented on Ruben Vardanyan's refusal to hire a lawyer. "A defendant's refusal of a lawyer is a common tactic in cases with a politicized agenda. This does not automatically make the court "dishonest," it simply activates the mechanism for appointing a defense attorney provided by law," he wrote.

"It is important to distinguish between the concepts of "prisoner of war" and "person suspected of committing crimes." If the investigation has presented evidence of specific actions classified as criminal, the status of prisoner is no longer applicable," stated Tamerlan Huseyn.

"The volume of materials—hundreds of volumes—testifies to the scale of the investigation, and not to its fictitiousness. Such figures only occur when numerous examinations, interrogations, and evidence collection are conducted," expressed the opinion of Elza Mursalova.

"The court's task is to establish individual responsibility. The fact that the accused represent a certain side in the conflict does not exempt them from the need to answer for "actions that fall under criminal statutes," noted Eldar Mammad.

In such stories, it is especially important not to substitute the legal plane with political emotions.

"In such stories, it is especially important not to substitute the legal plane with political emotions. If there is evidence of crimes, they must be considered, regardless of the political views of the accused," noted Rena Kazimova.

"Ultimately, the court considers not the history of the conflict as a whole, but specific episodes supported by evidence. And this is precisely the principle of justice - individual, not collective responsibility," wrote Vafa Hajiyeva.

As a reminder, both Armenian and Azerbaijani soldiers fought during the 44-day war In 2020, prisoners were beheaded and the corpses of the enemy were desecrated, experts stated after examining and verifying the authenticity of video footage from Nagorno-Karabakh. International organizations should monitor the investigation into war crimes committed by all sides in the Karabakh conflict, stated Azerbaijani human rights activists interviewed by the "Caucasian Knot."

On September 19-20, 2023, Azerbaijan carried out large-scale military operations in Karabakh. On September 20, 2023, an agreement was reached to cease hostilities and disarm the Karabakh Defense Army, and on January 1, 2024, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic ceased to exist in accordance with the decree of its last president Samvel Shahramanyan. By October 7, 2023, 100,632 internally displaced persons from Nagorno-Karabakh arrived in Armenia. The "Caucasian Knot" has prepared a report "The Beginning and End of the Unrecognized Republic of Artsakh".