15:32, 8 March 2023
YEREVAN, MARCH 8, ARMENPRESS. The human rights defender of the Republic of Artsakh published a report on the terrorist operation carried out by the sabotage group of the Azerbaijani armed forces on March 5, 2023. ARMENPRESS reports, the report summarizes the facts collected by the office of the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Artsakh regarding the terrorist act, which were obtained as a result of the fact-finding activities, from competent authorities and open sources.
"According to the collected facts, the pre-planned terrorist act took place on March 5 at around 10:00 AM.
The police car left Stepanakert at around 09:30, before that it was parked in front of the administrative building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. There were 4 police officers in the car: Lt. Colonel Armen Babayan, Major Davit Danielyan, Lieutenant Ararat Gasparyan and Lieutenant Davit Hovsepyan.
The collected facts clearly show that the car was moving from Stepanakert, so the claims of the Azerbaijani side that the Armenian side was transporting weapons and ammunition from the Republic of Armenia to Artsakh are groundless and false. In the car of Artsakh policemen leaving Stepanakert, there were only official documents and their personal weapons.
After approximately 30-40 minutes of driving, the policemen noted that stones were lined up on the road, which obstructed the traffic. The car stopped.
5 members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group came out from behind the stones, dressed in military clothes, masked, armed with assault rifles and aiming the barrels of the assault rifles at the car.
The driver of the car tried to turn the car back, but at that moment the 5 members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group, from the front, as well as 10 other members of the sabotage group, who were lying in wait on the right and left side of the road, started shooting at the car. The firing continued for about 10 minutes.
The external examination of the car clearly shows that hundreds of bullets were fired at the car by the Azerbaijani sabotage group.
After the fire stopped, 3 members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group approached the car, allegedly inspected the car, fired control shots at the driver of the car and the passenger sitting next to the driver. However, according to the testimony of the policeman who survived, the Azerbaijanis did not open the door of the rear compartment of the car, presumably not noticing that there were also passengers in the rear compartment.
Then, the members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group started to leave the scene of the crime to their armed bases located on the hill opposite the road.
As a result of the retaliatory fire opened by the Armenian side during the retreat of the Azerbaijanis, there were casualties and injuries among the members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group.
About 30-40 minutes after the terrorist attack, representatives of the Russian peacekeeping troops arrived. After their intervention, the fire was stopped.
After the intervention of the Russian side, the Azerbaijani side continued to retreat, taking with it the dead and wounded members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group.
Russian peacekeepers delivered first aid on the spot to A. Gasparyan and D. Hovsepyan and took to the hospital," the report states.
As a result of the Azerbaijani attack, lieutenant colonel Armen Babayan, major Davit Danielyan were killed on the spot, and lieutenant Ararat Gasparyan died while being taken to the hospital. Lieutenant Davit Hovsepyan received a gunshot wound in the chest and is in the Republican Medical Center. He underwent a surgery, is in the intensive care unit under the supervision of doctors, his life is not in danger.