An Azerbaijani court sentenced two former leaders of the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region to life imprisonment, marking a significant escalation in post-conflict prosecutions that has drawn sharp criticism from international human rights organizations and the Armenian government.
Araik Harutyunyan, the last de facto president of the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, and Levon Mnatsakanyan, former state minister, were convicted on charges including terrorism, war crimes, and crimes against the constitutional order, according to Armenian media reports. The verdicts follow Azerbaijan's September 2023 military operation that led to the dissolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh administration and the exodus of virtually the entire Armenian population.
The Armenian Foreign Ministry condemned the sentences as "politically motivated" and called for international intervention. "These prosecutions represent victor's justice rather than genuine accountability," a ministry statement read, characterizing the proceedings as violations of international humanitarian law.
Human rights organizations have expressed concern about the fairness of the trials. The detained officials have been held in Baku since their arrest following the territory's dissolution, with limited access to legal counsel and international observers. Azerbaijan has consistently defended the proceedings as legitimate criminal prosecutions for actions during the decades-long conflict.
The sentencing occurs amid broader tensions over post-conflict justice in the South Caucasus. Armenia and Azerbaijan both hold prisoners from the opposite side, with families on both sides demanding accountability and repatriation. Previous prisoner exchanges have been mediated by Russia and, more recently, by Western powers seeking to broker lasting peace.
The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which began in the waning years of the Soviet Union, saw Armenian forces gain control of the mountainous enclave and surrounding territories in a war that killed an estimated 30,000 people by 1994. Azerbaijan reclaimed much of this territory in a 2020 war and completed its takeover in 2023, displacing over 100,000 ethnic Armenians who had lived there for generations.
International mediation efforts have struggled to address war crimes accountability on both sides. The European Union and United States have called for independent investigations into alleged atrocities during both the 2020 and 2023 hostilities, but Azerbaijan and Armenia remain far apart on mechanisms for justice and reconciliation.
The life sentences signal Baku's determination to prosecute former Karabakh leadership, but they also complicate diplomatic efforts to normalize relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Peace negotiations mediated by the European Union have made incremental progress on border delimitation and humanitarian issues, yet fundamental disagreements over accountability threaten to stall broader normalization.
In the Caucasus, as across mountainous borderlands, ancient identities and modern geopolitics create intricate patterns of conflict and cooperation. The prosecution of wartime leaders raises essential questions about how post-Soviet frozen conflicts transition from military resolution to lasting peace, and whether justice mechanisms can satisfy both sides' demands for accountability without perpetuating cycles of grievance.
As Yerevan continues to pivot away from its traditional reliance on Russia and seeks closer ties with Western institutions, the fate of detained officials has become entangled with broader regional realignments. The verdicts underscore that while military operations may have concluded, the legal and political aftermath of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict will shape South Caucasus relations for years to come.
