The court hearing of the criminal case into Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev, the two members of an Azerbaijani intelligence-gathering sabotage team, is still in progress at the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR; Artsakh) capital city Stepanakert seat of the NKR First Instance General Jurisdiction Court.

All materials gathered during the respective investigation are being publicized at present.

“Some photos—the flag of Azerbaijan, Hasanov’s machine gun—are made public already, and the videos will be released soon,” Askerov’s attorney, Erik Beglaryan, told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

The attorney, however, could not answer the query as to when the trial will end.

The court hearing began on October 27. The two Azerbaijani defendants have already testified, and their preliminary testimony has been publicized. In addition, Mekhak Tsakanyan, the father of Smbat Tsakanyan, has testified.    

According to the NKR Police, Azerbaijani citizens Shahbaz Guliyev (born in 1968), Dilham Askerov (born in 1960), and Hasan Hasanov—who was shot and killed by law enforcement agents at the spot—illegally crossed the state border of Karabakh, and armed with weapons and ammunition on June 29. The three entered the territory of the Shahumyan region of Karabakh as spies to collect information and carry out espionage.

On July 4, they kidnapped and murdered the Karabakh citizen, 17-year-old Smbat Tsakanyan, whose body was found on July 15 with gunshot wounds in a forest at Shahumyan region.

In addition, on the evening of July 11, Hasanov killed Yerevan resident Sargis Abrahamyan (born in 1971), and severely wounded Armenian Dzoraghbyur village resident Karine Davtyan, on the Vardenis-Karvachar highway. Hasanov was armed and he resisted during the arrest; as a result, he was neutralized by the NKR special forces. The two others, Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilham Askerov, were detained.

Dilham Askerov is charged with espionage; unauthorized border trespass; kidnapping and violence against a minor, committed by an organized group; murder committed by an organized group motivated by ethnic hatred; and attempt of murder of two persons, committed by an organized group, motivated by ethnic hatred. Shahbaz Guliyev is charged with espionage; unauthorized border trespass; kidnapping and violence against a minor, committed by an organized group; and murder committed by an organized group motivated by ethnic hatred.

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am