Artsakh court of appeals takes up Azeri commandos’ case

By Asbarez | Thursday, 26 February 2015

Shahbaz Quliyev (right) and Dilgam Askerov (third from left), Azerbaijani men charged by Karabakh's authorities with murder of a teenager, stand trial in Stepanakert. Oct. 27, 2014. (Photo: RFE/RL)

STEPANAKERT—A hearing for the case of Azerbaijani nationals Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev was held at the Artsakh Court of Appeals in Stepanakert on Thursday.

Two Azeri nationals, Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev, were charged and subsequently found guilty of kidnapping and murdering a teenager, violence motivated by ethnic hatred, espionage, unauthorized border trespassing, and possession of artillery weapons.

The Azeri saboteurs crossed the Artsakh border in July, 2014. A third commando, Hasan Hasanov, was killed in action and his body was handed over to Baku.

The actions of the subversive group left an underage resident of Karvachar and a soldier dead and one woman wounded.

The First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction sentenced Dilham Askerov to life imprisonment and Shahbaz Guliyev to 22 years in jail.

Trying to defend themselves they denied participation in the crimes and laid the burden on Hasanov.

The hearings on the case will continue at the Court of Appeals on March 10.