Karen Avanesyan was sentenced to a lengthy prison term in the terrorist attack case.

Karen Avanesyan, who remained in Khankendi after the exodus of Karabakh residents to Armenia, has been sentenced by an Azerbaijani court to 16 years in prison on charges of attempting to commit a terrorist attack.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," Karen Avanesyan, an armed resident of Khankendi (the Armenian name is Stepanakert, - note by "Caucasian Knot") of Armenian descent, attempted to reach an event site in the city but was stopped by police. He threw grenades at them, opened fire, was wounded, and detained, the Azerbaijani Ministry of Internal Affairs reported. Karabakh human rights activists believe the incident was staged. They say the mentally ill man was well known in the city and did not display any aggression. In early December, his case was transferred to the Ganja Grave Crimes Court for consideration.

The verdict was announced at a session of the Ganja Grave Crimes Court chaired by Judge Natig Aliyev, the Report news agency reported today.

According to the court, Karen Avanesyan (born in 1967), a resident of the city, acquired and stored a Kalashnikov assault rifle with components and a large number of hand grenades left over from illegal armed groups operating in the city until September 2023 in the city of Khankendi with the aim of violating public safety, creating panic among the population, and committing acts of terrorism accompanied by explosions, deaths and other socially dangerous consequences.

On September 14, at around 7:00 a.m., Avanesyan left the social shelter where he lived without explanation, took previously hidden ammunition, and at around 9:00 a.m., entered an empty He took up a position and awaited the approach of police officers. From his hiding place, he opened fire indiscriminately with an automatic weapon at the approaching police officers, then threw several hand grenades in their direction.

As a result of the incident, three police officers sustained injuries of varying severity. They were evacuated from the scene and, thanks to prompt medical assistance, survived.

Karen Avanesyan was found guilty under several articles of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan, including attempted premeditated murder of two or more persons by terrorist means, terrorism with the use of firearms, illegal acquisition, storage, and carrying of weapons and ammunition, and resisting a government official with violence. According to the court's decision, Karen Avanesyan was sentenced to 16 years in prison, the statement said.

As a reminder, following the exodus of Nagorno-Karabakh's population, no more than 40 residents remained, including ethnic Armenians, former State Minister Artak Beglaryan stated on October 14, 2023. Earlier, on October 2, 2023, the UN mission stated that between 50 and 1,000 ethnic Armenians remained in Karabakh. The original UN statement, which cited these figures, was published on the "Caucasian Knot." By early September 2024, only 14 Armenians remained in the region . One of the last Armenian residents of Karabakh, 70-year-old Vera Aghasyan, died at the end of October.