BAKU, Azerbaijan, July 31. If new facts emerge during the investigation, additional charges may be brought against Vagif Khachatryan, a fugitive of genocide in Meshali village of Azerbaijan’s Khojaly district, Deputy Military Prosecutor of Azerbaijan, Fuad Mammadov, said, Trend reports.
He is currently accused of committing massacres of Azerbaijanis in the village of Meshali.
Mammadov revealed that during the investigation, it came to light that Vagif Khachatryan and other Armenians involved in the armed attack on Meshali had pre-planned the attack, which is substantiated by witness testimonies, victim statements, and expert conclusions. The attack was aimed at forcibly removing people from the village and subsequently causing their death, he told local media.
Khachatryan was detained while trying to go to Armenia for
treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of
the Red Cross.
The investigation established that Khachatryan, born in 1955, a
citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, born in Badara village of
Khojaly district and worked as a driver in Khankendi city
automobile transport company, together with other people of
Armenian nationality, used various weapons, including firearms and
infantry fighting vehicles, to kill all Azerbaijani residents of
Meshali village (Khojaly district) as a single national group.
Using various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting
vehicles, they attacked the village, killed 25 and injured 14
people of Azerbaijani nationality, and, contrary to national and
international law norms, expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their
domicile.
In addition, Khachatryan continued his criminal actions together
with his accomplices, destroying and damaging property belonging to
the state and villagers, causing a total of over 5.96 million manat
($3.5 million) of material damage.
Due to the fact that sufficient reasonable suspicions arose
regarding the criminal case, it was decided to involve Khachatryan
as an accused person under articles 103 (massacre) and 107
(deportation or forced movement of the population) of the Criminal
Code of Azerbaijan. However, due to the fact that his whereabouts
were unknown to the investigation, on November 12, 2013, an
international arrest warrant was issued by the court's
decision.