Victim who identified Levon Mnatsakanyan during trial says he was struck on head with fist and butt of rifle

On October 2, victim Ilham Mammadov testified at the Baku Military Court hearing on the criminal cases against Armenian citizens, Report informs.

He recounted that on May 10, 2002, while serving in the military, he was taken hostage by Armenian armed forces on the Harami plain while en route to his post. Mammadov said that he was unarmed at that time and Armenian soldiers beat and tortured him. He stated that one of the officers who beat him showed particular cruelty. He later learned the officer's name – who was Levon.

In response to questions from public prosecutors, the victim pointed to accused Levon Mnatsakanyan, and claimed he was the one who committed the atrocities: "He struck me on the head with his fist and the butt of his rifle. He took me out onto the trench and opened fire. At that moment, the positions of the Azerbaijani Army were directly behind me. He forced me to stand in a position where our soldiers could shoot me undetected. Then they forced me stroll through a minefield," Ilham Mammadov added.

Mammadov was detained for a week in the territories of Azerbaijan that were then occupied by the Armenian armed forces. Then he was dispatched to Armenia. After being detained for 6 months and 15 days, he was handed over to Azerbaijan.

In response to questions from the defense, the victim stated that he had not known Levon Mnatsakanyan before his arrest and was unaware of his position at the time. "However, based on the attitude toward him at that time, I assume his position was chief of staff," he noted.

In response to Levon Mnatsakanyan's questions, he stated that he was born in 1973 and held the rank of senior lieutenant when he was taken hostage, recounting: "When I graduated from the Azerbaijan Agricultural Institute, I was assigned the rank of officer. There was a military department there."

Court proceedings continue against Armenian nationals accused of war crimes, crimes against humanity, genocide, aggression, terrorism, and violations of the laws of war. The charges also include financing terrorism, the violent seizure and retention of power, and other serious offenses.