The verdicts delivered against Armenian-origin defendants in a long-running court process in Baku were discussed in detail on REAL Television’s “Evening News” program. The guests of the program were Chingiz Ganizade, Chairman of the Democracy and Human Rights Committee and Doctor of Philosophy in Law, and human rights defender Ahmad Shahidov. The discussion focused on the Karabakh conflict, the new realities that emerged after the 2020 Patriotic War, and the political and legal dimensions of the court decisions.
In his remarks, Chingiz Ganizade stated that after the 2020 war Azerbaijan restored not only its territorial integrity but also historical justice. He emphasized that providing a legal assessment and punishment for crimes committed against the Azerbaijani people over many years is a key element of the new post-war reality, noting that “the court verdicts issued in Baku today are an expression of Azerbaijan’s sovereign rights and are fully in line with international law.”
Ahmad Shahidov stressed that the individuals in question do not have the status of prisoners of war and that the charges brought against them include crimes against peace and humanity, war crimes, and acts of terrorism. He noted that the principle of universal jurisdiction allows such crimes to be examined by national courts and that the decisions of Azerbaijani courts are legally legitimate.
The human rights defender Ahmad Shahidov added that the harsh reactions from the Armenian opposition and certain pro-Armenian international circles are largely political in nature. According to Shahidov, through this judicial process Azerbaijan demonstrates that the peace process cannot bypass justice and that sustainable peace can only be built on legal accountability and the acceptance of historical truths.
