The trial of Karabakh's leaders reminded Facebook users of the tragedies in Sumgait and Khojaly

Discussions about the court hearing on the former leaders of Nagorno-Karabakh have resulted in mutual recriminations between Armenian and Azerbaijani Facebook* users, recalling the tragic events of the long-running armed conflict.

As reported by the " Caucasian Knot ," the trial of former Nagorno-Karabakh leaders accused of war crimes concluded on October 31. The prosecution requested life sentences for Arayik Harutyunyan, David Ishkhanyan, David Babayan, Levon Mnatsakanyan, and David Manukyan, and 16 to 20 years in prison for the others. On December 4, their lawyers declared their clients' guilt unproven and called on the court to acquit them.

As of 12:25 p.m. Moscow time, Facebook* users had left more than 780 comments under the "Caucasian Knot" post about the defense of former Karabakh leaders.

However, only a few users commented on the trial and the position of the defendants' lawyers. "Lawyers are asking for acquittals not because 'everyone needs to be saved,' but because that's their professional role in the trial. They test the prosecution's case, protect the rights of individuals (even if they've committed an offense), and ensure that punishment is meted out strictly within the law, not at random. This is a complex but fundamental principle of fair justice," wrote Mubariz Huseynov .

"Their [the accused's] main trick was the impossibility of conducting investigative experiments on site. But they were very, very wrong. The testimony of the victims and the materials obtained during the military operations were sufficient for a verdict," stated Sabr Abdulov .

Most users with Armenian and Azerbaijani surnames exchanged grievances regarding the events of the long-running conflict. In particular, some users from Armenia recalled the Sumgait pogroms.

"When will your [compatriots] be punished? Those who brutally murdered unarmed civilians in Sumgait?" wrote Lusina Danelyan , among others . "When they killed in Sumgait, you beasts [animal comparison]," Valentina Mirzoyan pointed out . "Questions about Sumgait for your [animal comparison], who are now hiding somewhere," wrote Dzhambulat Tuayev in response .

"Those first refugees arrived in Sumgait, the ones you Armenians drove out naked into the streets in winter. […] The Azerbaijanis hid these neighbors. I myself defended these Armenians from tyranny. And don't confuse the people with all sorts of scum. Just because a few people fight doesn't mean the whole nation. I once lived in Shusha among Armenians and I know all about it," Sabr Abdulov stated .

Azerbaijani social media users, in turn, reminded their opponents of the Khojaly tragedy of 1992.

"These [expletives] are the ones who committed Khojaly," wrote Orkhan Myadina , among others . "Your descendants will be [punished] for Khojaly, as will those who brutally exterminated civilians there," Sevinc, a user with an Armenian surname, Mamedova, told her .

Other users recalled later events during the armed conflict. "We would have lived and lived until your Aliyev attacked again," wrote Marina Hakobyan . "Nobody attacked, you yourselves were the first to start shooting in 2020," countered Tahir Gasimov .

"What year? Is there a link?" Lusina Danelyan asked . "September 27, 2020, morning. The full footage is on YouTube," Tahir Gasimov replied.

"Peace could have been reached [many years ago], but you refused. It's too late to cry now," said Aida Aliyeva . "We're not crying, we're demanding justice," Narine Karapetyan wrote in response .

"Justice is living alongside, not seizing someone else's property," Aida Aliyeva retorted. "What other people's property? We lived there for a thousand years," Armen Satyan wrote . "You lived among us, we don't mind. But when you decided to build your republic on our land, that's a different matter," Sabr Abdulov responded.

"We have history," declared Armen Satyan. "We have history too. Everyone has history. Now we have laws," noted Ilkin Huseynov . "The law kills people. Where is the humanity?" asked Sona Melikyan . "Humanity ended when they killed children in Khojaly," Mamedova Sevinc responded categorically.

"Give me a list: Khojaly, Bashly, Karadaghly, Aghdam. Anyone can list them," wrote Nijat Tariverdi . "War is a tragedy for everyone. I'll agree once," responded Arman Khachatryan . "But you supported the war; don't pretend to be a peacemaker now," declared Azer Karimov . "I supported Armenia, not the war," countered Arman Khachatryan. "Armenia chose war. Therefore, I supported it," disagreed Azer Karimov.

"Stop writing. No one will convince anyone," urged Lusina Danelyan. "I agree. Everyone will stick to their guns. But the court must be fair," wrote Fuad Khalilova.

As a reminder, on November 21, another hearing was held in the case of former Karabakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan. Azerbaijani citizens recognized as victims testified at the hearing. They told the court about shelling that had been carried out by Armenia long before Vardanyan moved to Karabakh. Specifically, they described shelling in the Kelbajar region, which came under Baku's control following the 44-day war in 2020, and in the Zangilan region, which was also occupied by Azerbaijan in 2020.

However, it was only in September 2022 that Vardanyan announced his decision to renounce his Russian citizenship and move to Nagorno-Karabakh, where he soon agreed to head the government. The prosecution accuses Vardanyan of events that occurred many years before his arrival in Karabakh, the defense stated in May.