Armenian expresses gratitude to President of Azerbaijan in court

Karapetyan Rafik Robertovich, one of the accused in the trial of a terrorist armed group of Armenian citizens in the Baku Court of Grave Crimes, thanked President Ilham Aliyev.

According to Report, Karapetyan said he expects a fair decision from the court:

"I regret my actions. I express my gratitude to the President of Azerbaijan and the Government of Azerbaijan. I ask the court to acquit us."

Members of the illegal armed formation penetrated the Azerbaijani territory, took a position in the forests in the Khojavand region's Hadrut village, and committed terrorist, subversive, and other criminal actions against the Azerbaijani military personnel and civilians. The members of these armed formations illegally crossed Azerbaijan's state border on November 26-27, 2020. As an organized group, they took up combat positions in the forest and other areas in the north-western part of the Khojavand region's Hadrut village. They attacked enterprises, institutions, and organizations, or individuals, organized explosions, committed arsons, or other terrorist acts posing a threat to the life and health of people, capable of causing significant property damage or leading to other socially dangerous consequences, intending to disrupt public safety, sowing panic among the population or influencing decision-making by the state authorities of Azerbaijan or international organizations.

The formation members were rendered harmless in the anti-terrorist raid conducted by the State Security Service (SSS) on December 13, 2020, after the announcement of a ceasefire agreed upon by Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia in a trilateral statement made on November 10, 2020. The preliminary investigation into the criminal case against them, initiated by the Investigation Department of the SSS, has been completed.