Armenia convicts two Syrians for fighting for Azerbaijan
Eurasianet
07 May 2021, 00:49 GMT+10
Two Syrians have been convicted in Armenia for fighting as mercenaries on Azerbaijan s side during last year s war.
In a closed trial that took only a single day, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kapan in southern Armenia convicted the two men, identified as Muhrab al-Shkheri and Yusef al-Haji, on several charges including terrorism, international terrorism, serious violations of international humanitarian law during armed conflicts, and working as mercenaries. They were given life sentences.
The two had a public defender, Mushegh Vardanyan, who told local media that his clients pleaded guilty only to the charges of being mercenaries. The defendants only partially admit their guilt, only the mercenary charges, they do not accept the rest of the charges and the verdict will be appealed, Vardanyan told aravot.am.
Armenian Court Sentences Two Syrian Mercenaries to Life for Karabakh War Crimes
An Armenian court today sentenced two Syrian mercenaries, captured by the Artsakh Defense Army during last year’s Karabakh war and charged with war crimes, to life imprisonment.
Yousouf Alaabet al-Haji, and Muhrab Mohammad Al Shkher were charged with attempting to commit serious violations of international humanitarian law during an armed conflict and perpetrating international terrorism.
It took the Syunik Provincial Court just one day to examine the evidence against the two and issue its verdict.
Mushegh Vardanyan, the defendant’s attorney, told Hetq that the two accept that they were hired as mercenaries but deny committing war crimes.