Azerbaijan Says Detained Former Karabakh Separatist President Harutyunyan

Azerbaijan confirmed Thursday it had detained an ex-president of its recently captured separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which agreed to reintegrate with Azerbaijan in the wake of Baku's lighting offensive last month

Baku, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 5th Oct, 2023) Azerbaijan confirmed Thursday it had detained an ex-president of its recently captured separatist region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which agreed to reintegrate with Azerbaijan in the wake of Baku's lighting offensive last month.

On Wednesday, Armenia's foreign ministry "strongly condemned" Azerbaijan for arresting several separatist leaders from Karabakh.

Azerbaijan's prosecutor general and security service said in a joint statement that Arayik Harutyunyan was detained Tuesday on "suspicion of waging an aggressive war" against Azerbaijan and alleged war crimes.

The 49-year-old headed the separatist government during the 2020 armed conflict between Baku and Yerevan for control of the mountainous enclave and stepped down in early September, shortly before Baku's offensive.

Several senior representatives of Karabakh's former authorities and military command have been detained, including Ruben Vardanyan -- a reported billionaire who headed the region's separatist government between November 2022 and February.