2 Armenian soldiers received an 11.5-year prison sentences during a sham trial in an Azerbaijani court

An Azerbaijani court in the city of Sumgait has handed a jail sentence to two Armenian soldiers kidnapped in May by Azerbaijani forces while they were delivering food and supplies to an Armenian Army unit in Syunik.

Harutyun Hovakimyan and Karen Ghazaryan appeared in the court on Friday and were sentenced to 11.5 years in prison on terrorism charges during a farce trial.

Armenia’s defense ministry reported on May 26 that Hovakimyan and Ghazaryan were ambushed by a group of Azerbaijani soldiers while on a routine delivery mission to one of Armenia’s military units.

The two were immediately charged with terrorism upon their capture.

Court proceedings began on Wednesday when prosecutors officially leveled the charges and identified four Azerbaijanis as “victims.”

Since the 2020 War, Azerbaijan has staged several sham trials and has sentenced Armenian prisoners of war illegally being held to various terms.

When the two soldiers were kidnapped, it was believed that Baku wanted to exchange them with two Azerbaijani soldiers who appeared on Armenia’s sovereign territory and were captured. One of them was charged with murder last month and sentenced to 11.5 years in prison for the killing of an employee at a gold mine.