BAKU, Azerbaijan, September 29. Persons currently abroad, who are accused of committing grave crimes against Azerbaijan, can be held accountable in the future, and cooperation with the relevant authorities of other states is being pursued in this regard, the Prosecutor General of Azerbaijan, Kamran Aliyev, said in a joint interview with the Trend News Agency and REAL TV.
"It’s not just about those specific individuals. In general, relations within the framework of international law and cooperation with the relevant agencies of other states are crucial and yield tangible results. It's indeed possible for persons falling into the category you mentioned to be held criminally liable, either now or in the future. We are carrying out the necessary work in this direction," he noted.
The Prosecutor General pointed out that some of the individuals in question have already been held accountable. He linked the holding of these legal proceedings to the conditions that emerged following the liberation of the territories.
"Some persons falling into that category have been held accountable. I must particularly note that the measures implemented by President Ilham Aliyev - and his leadership as Commander-in-Chief in achieving the complete liberation of the territories and securing this victory - made it possible to conduct those court proceedings," said Kamran Aliyev.
The Prosecutor General noted that the conduct of the investigation and the trial also depended on prevailing circumstances.
"In legal science, there is a concept known as 'investigative situations.' This means that investigative tactics and the course of the investigation, as well as the conduct of court proceedings, depend on specific conditions arising within society.
Since the onset of the Karabakh conflict, prosecution officials had been gathering evidence over a long period. This work was carried out by staff serving during both earlier and later periods. An evidentiary base existed, but the conditions were not yet favorable for utilizing that evidence."
According to Kamran Aliyev, the opportunity to utilize the gathered evidence and hold individuals accountable arose following the military operations. He expressed hope that other persons wanted in connection with the criminal case would also be held accountable in the future.
"As you know, there are other participants in that criminal case who are currently wanted. I hope it will be possible to hold them accountable in the future as well," he noted.
The Prosecutor General also touched upon the experience of other states. According to him, although law enforcement agencies in some countries have gathered evidence regarding war crimes, they lack the conditions to utilize that evidence in court proceedings.
"Such crimes have occurred in other states as well. I do not wish to name specific countries, but if we look at our immediate neighborhood, we see that the law enforcement and prosecutorial authorities of those states have collected a great deal of evidence regarding war crimes. However, they lack the capacity and conditions to use this evidence and conduct the relevant court proceedings," Aliyev added.
