Accused In Khojaly Case Recounts Atrocities In Preliminary Investigation

On September 4, the Baku Military Court disclosed the statement of the accused Madat Babayan to the preliminary investigation, providing detailed testimony regarding the Khojaly genocide in February 1992 and the horrific events that followed, Azernews reports.

According to Babayan, on February 24, 1992, Arkady Shirinyan addressed the then 3rd division, announcing that an attack on Khojaly would take place the next day at midnight, with orders to commit a massacre against the city's Azerbaijani civilian population. Babayan stated that preparations were carried out strictly in accordance with Shirinyan's instructions.

The city of Khojaly was subjected to continuous shelling from positions located in the high mountainous areas near Khankendi, where artillery and multiple rocket launcher systems were deployed. After approximately 30 to 40 minutes of sustained fire, Armenian armed forces entered Khojaly around midnight on the night of February 25-26. Upon entering the city, they reportedly opened fire indiscriminately on civilians, using automatic weapons, machine guns, and grenade launchers, while setting homes ablaze.

Babayan described how many residents, including barefoot children and mothers carrying infants, attempted to flee across the Gargar River toward nearby mountains and the village of Shelli in the Aghdam region. Those who tried to escape were reportedly intercepted and shot by armed forces who had set up positions around the city in advance. According to Babayan, he personally opened fire on civilians, acting on orders, and that commanders, including Shirinyan, instructed the execution of particularly heinous acts.

The testimony also included accounts of widespread looting, sexual violence against women, torture, and the deliberate crushing of people under tanks and combat vehicles. Babayan stated that looting in Khojaly continued from February 26 to March 8, 1992.

The case is part of ongoing trials of Armenian citizens accused of committing crimes against peace and humanity, including war crimes, genocide, terrorism, financing terrorism, and the forcible seizure or retention of power, among numerous other offenses, resulting from Armenia's military aggression against Azerbaijan.

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