baku Court Issues Life And Lengthy Prison Sentences To Former Artsakh Officials

An azerbaijani court in Baku has issued life imprisonment and lengthy prison terms against former Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) political and military leaders, in a verdict observers view as the latest stage of a broader campaign by azerbaijani authorities to punish Artsakh’s leadership and legitimize the 2023 ethnic cleansing that emptied the homeland of its indigenous Armenian population.

On February 5, 2026, the court sentenced five defendants to life imprisonment, including former Artsakh President Arayik Harutyunyan, former National Assembly Speaker Davit Ishkhanyan, former Foreign Minister David Babayan, former Defence Army commander Levon Mnatsakanyan, and Major General Davit Manukyan.

In the same ruling, former Artsakh presidents Bako Sahakyan and Arkadi Ghukasyan received 20-year prison terms, with reporting noting that Azerbaijan’s criminal code bars life sentences for defendants above a certain age threshold.

The convictions were issued on a sweeping set of fabricated accusations, including allegations such as war crimes, crimes against humanity, terrorism, and genocide.

The trial began in January 2025 and has been criticized by human rights advocates and international observers for failing to meet the most basic standards of a fair trial. The case is inseparable from the wider context: after Azerbaijan’s September 2023 genocidal aggression and the months-long siege that preceded it, nearly 120,000 Armenians fled Artsakh, ending the Armenian presence in the territory in a matter of days.

Ruben Vardanyan tried separately

Former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan is being prosecuted in a separate case at the Baku Military Court. On December 18, 2025, Azerbaijani prosecutors formally called for Vardanyan to be sentenced to life imprisonment; Reuters reported he faces 42 charges, including terrorism.

Amnesty International has previously urged Azerbaijani authorities to ensure Vardanyan’s fair trial rights and to investigate allegations of rights violations in detention.

For observers worldwide, these verdicts are widely seen not as justice, but as a political spectacle aimed at cementing the outcome of the 2023 ethnic cleansing of Artsakh’s Armenian population, intimidating any future Armenian political agency, and attempting to retroactively criminalize Artsakh’s institutions and leadership.

Horizon Weekly