İnformation of the Press service of the State Security Service

rehberlik
Official 20 November 2023

09:50

Investigations are being conducted on the information provided by Rashid Beglaryan regarding the Khojaly genocide

Comprehensive investigations are being conducted on terrorism, crimes against peace and humanity, as well as war crimes committed in the past by the illegal Armenian armed groups which used to exist in the territories of the Republic of Azerbaijan liberated from occupation.

Suspected in torture of Azerbaijani prisoners and other persons protected by international humanitarian lawdetained in children hospital No. 3 located in Khankendi city by restriction of their freedom, as well as in committing other serious criminal acts against peace and humanity, war crimes, and other forms of participation in the activities of illegal Armenian armed groups,  Beglaryan Rashid Aramaisi was arrested and charged with Articles 112, 113, 115.2, 279.1 and 318.1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan. Those persons who were subjected to the mentioned tortures were identified and recognized as victims of the current criminal case.

During the interrogation, the accused Rashid Beglaryan provided information about his participation in the Khojaly tragedy in February 1992 and stated that on February 25, 1992, the Armenian armed forces and illegal Armenian armed units operating under them moved from the city of Khankendi to the city of Khojaly, where civilians were densly populated in accordance with the pre-arranged plan of their attack, where they made false promises to the surviving Azerbaijani civilians about their safe passage through the Askeran region in the direction of the Aghdam region, and later on February 26, 1992, those armed units including himself, in order to subject Azerbaijanis to mass slaughter, ambushed and opened fire from automatic weapons and near Askeran fortress killed up to 200 civilians, mostly women, children and elderly people, who were moving along the coast of the river of Gargarchay towards Aghdam district. After the personal belongings of the deceased were looted by the members of the criminal group, their bodies were buried around Askeran fortress.

During the on-the-spot verification of the testimony, Rashid Beglaryan gave detailed information about the places where criminal acts were committed against the civilian population.

At the moment, the investigations related to the mentioned criminal acts are being continued.