BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 17. A member of the Azerbaijani Bar Association, lawyer Natig Beybalayev, has refused to defend Vagif Khachatryan, accused of committing genocide in the village of Meshali in Azerbaijan’s Khojaly district, TurkicWorld reports.
This was announced at today's hearing of Vagif Khachatryan's criminal case in Yasamal District Court.
During the process, Natig Beybalayev addressed the court. The lawyer stated that he refuses to defend due to health reasons.
The objection was accepted, and Vagif Khachatryan was provided with another defense counsel.
Radmila Abilova, a member of the Azerbaijani Bar Association, was appointed as Vagif Khachatryan's defense counsel.
Armenian citizen Vagif Khachatryan, who is on the international wanted list in connection with the Meshali genocide, was detained at the Lachin border checkpoint in July this year.
In December 1991, the criminal group, of which he was a member, killed 25 Azerbaijanis, wounded 14 people, and expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their legal place of residence in Meshali village in Khojaly district.
In connection with the emergence of sufficient grounded suspicions, a decision was made to bring Vagif Khachatryan as an accused under Articles 103 (genocide) and 107 (deportation or forced resettlement of the population) of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
A measure of restraint in the form of detention was chosen against him.
