The Chamber of Appeals of the Supreme Court of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (NKR) upheld the prison sentences of Azerbaijani saboteurs Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilham Askerov, who are jailed in the NKR. Askerov’s attorney, Erik Beglaryan, told about the aforesaid to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Azerbaijani sabotage and intelligence-gathering team member Dilham Askerov was 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. The other team member, Shahbaz Guliyev, on the other hand, was 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.

On December 29, 2014, the First Instance General Jurisdiction Court of the NKR sentenced Askerov and Guliyev to life and 22 years, respectively, in prison.

The saboteur’s attorneys, however, had appealed these sentences. But on March 10, the NKR Court of Appeal upheld the earlier court verdict.

So, the attorneys of Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev had appealed, at the NKR Supreme Court, the rulings handed down by the two previous tribunals.