A military court in Baku held a preliminary hearing on October 13 into the case against Vagif Khachatrian, an ethnic Armenian from Karabakh accused of alleged genocide and the forced deportation of civilians. Azerbaijan's military detained Khacahtrian in late July while he was leaving the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh for Armenia via the Lachin checkpoint. Azerbaijani investigators say Khachatrian was among armed Armenian forces that killed 25 Azerbaijani people, wounded 14, and forced 358 residents of the village of Mesali to leave their homes in December 1991. The trial is scheduled for October 17. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Azerbaijani Service, click here.
Baku Court Holds Preliminary Hearing Into Case Against Karabakh Armenian
Vagif Khachatrian (center) in a military court in Baku on October 13.