The decision has been made to prosecute 39 individuals who participated in the Khojaly genocide, military prosecutor Khanlar Veliyev said on Wednesday.
He said 18 of them are former servicemen of the 366th regiment; eight are employees of the interior bodies of Khankendi and Askeran whilst five are other officials and also eight civilians.
The military prosecutor said all these individuals are charged under Article 103 of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan for their part in the genocide. The charges are: Article 107 of the Criminal Code (war crimes and crimes against peace and humanity and deportation), Article. 113 (torture), Article 115.4, (violation of the laws and principles of warfare) and p.116.0.17 (violation of international humanitarian law during armed conflicts) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan.
At present, about 3000 people have been questioned for the period of the Khojaly genocide as part of a criminal case. There are around 2000 acknowledged as being victims of which more than 800 have undergone specialist treatment.
The amount of material damage caused by the occupation of Khojaly to the state and citizens of Azerbaijan has already been defined. It amounts to 140 million manat ($170 million), Mr Veliyev said.
There is an on-going collection of evidence on those accused of committing genocide. Mr Veliyev also noted that the decision was made to prosecute 287 individuals accused of criminal offenses in the occupied Azerbaijani territories.
An indictment has been made against 239 people. Some 39 of them are accused of crimes in Khojaly, six in Garadagly, 18 in Baganis-Ayrim, six in Mesheli and 47 in Kyargidzhahan,. At least 35 are cited for violence, three on terrorism and 85 for other crimes. A decision against 48 individuals was made relating to banditry, illegal possession of weapons and other crimes.
The military prosecutor said the Khojaly genocide is on a par with the well-known events in Khatyn, Lidice, My Lai and Srebrenica.
The Armenian military forces committed genocide in Khojaly on Feb. 26, 1992. Some 613 people were killed, including 63 children, 106 women and 70 old men. A total of 1000 civilians were disabled during the genocide. Eight families were annihilated, 130 children lost one parent, and 25 lost both. Additionally, 1275 innocent residents were taken hostage, while the fate of 150 remains unknown.
