The next phase of the peace trial can be considered completed, and the Court of Appeal has gone to the deliberation room. Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) National Assembly former speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, who is sentenced to life imprisonment by the Baku Military Court, stated this in an audio recorded message from a prison in Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

Ishkhanyan noted as follows, in particular: “It is clear to all of us that this verdict has been made a long time ago, the procedural panel will only publicize what has been decided. Our last speeches were very special, they were quite worthy speeches.

Both the representatives of the prosecutor's office and the judge were unreasonably interfering, interrupting, including me; they did not let me present my full speech. But we do not have a problem, we all know that this is a political trial. The highest assessment of this trial was given by one of the defense attorneys, who stated in the first instance that they will be ashamed before their generations in years to come. And this time he delivered a very special speech to the trial panel, calling on them not to defile the court. He said that ‘We [i.e. Azerbaijan] have desecrated our victories with this trial.’

I noted in my speech in the first instance court that politically and morally the prosecution and the trial panel, who are the same team, did not actually win, we were the winners. We were giving worthy rebuffs to the arguments and false allegations that relate to the past, present, and issues of honor of our people.

Here, too, is a field of struggle where the law of force operates. The judges are guided by the principle of ‘We are the ones who decide’ and do whatever they want. But this is secondary for us, we are providing a formal side in order to reach the international court. So we can consider this trial a failure for the trial party.”

Ishkhanyan added that the news is being presented by Azerbaijan in a manipulated manner, not in line with reality.

“I sometimes wonder where the journalists of Armenia’s Radio Liberty, the journalists seeking freedom are. But we never saw them inside the walls of the Baku court.

Back on July 17, I had submitted a motion to the court asking the prosecutor’s office to withdraw the lawsuit and dismiss the criminal case, taking into account the current situation; it was denied on the spot.

In my last speech, I suggested that they appeal to the people who make the decision and, taking into account the delicate political situation between the two peoples, the role of foreign political actors, and as an investment aimed at the future, stop this criminal prosecution and dismiss the case.”

According to Davit Ishkhanyan, the defense has never received either the indictment, the report, or the verdict of the first instance court.