Azerbaijan arrests former leader of Nagorno-Karabakh separatist region

Azerbaijan announced that it had arrested former Nagorno-Karabakh separatist leader Harutyunyan, after issuing a warrant for his arrest along with 300 key members of the force.

Azerbaijan's prosecutor general and security services issued a joint statement today saying Arayik Harutyunyan was arrested on charges of "waging a war of aggression" against Azerbaijan as well as committing "war crimes".

Azerbaijan's security service also released images showing two security officers escorting Mr Harutyunyan, who was handcuffed. Azerbaijani media said Mr Harutyunyan was arrested in Nagorno-Karabakh's capital Stepanakert and was being taken to the capital Baku.

Former Nagorno-Karabakh separatist leader Arayik Harutyunyan (center) is captured by Azerbaijani security forces in this photo released on October 5. Photo: Reuters — Former Nagorno-Karabakh separatist leader Arayik Harutyunyan (center) is captured by Azerbaijani security forces in this photo released on October 5. Photo: *Reuters*

The move came after Azerbaijan's Prosecutor General Kamran Aliyev on October 1 announced a wanted list of 300 members of the Nagorno-Karabakh separatist faction, including former leader Harutyunyan and former commander of the faction's fighting force Jalal Harutyunyan.

According to Azerbaijan's prosecutor, Mr. Arayik and Jalal were indicted for their involvement in missile attacks on civilians in the city of Ganja, Azerbaijan, and the killing of civilians during the 44-day conflict in 2020.

Azerbaijan launched an "anti-terrorist" operation in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh on September 19 and quickly captured strategic positions. Harutyunyan resigned just before Azerbaijan's lightning attack.

A day later, the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists agreed to lay down their arms, disband their forces, and negotiate the annexation of the territory to Azerbaijan. The separatist government also announced the dissolution of its organizations and officially ceased to exist from January 1, 2024.

Azerbaijan has agreed to allow separatist fighters to leave for Armenia under the terms of a ceasefire, but Azerbaijani government sources say its border guards are hunting for those accused of “war crimes”.

Nagorno-Karabak has been a flashpoint in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan for three decades. The region has been separated from Azerbaijan since pro-Armenian separatists took control of it in a war in the early 1990s. The two sides have clashed several times since then, culminating in a war in 2020 that saw Azerbaijan regain some of the territory.