Top court upholds former Artsakh army commander's conviction

Armenia’s Court of Cassation has upheld the conviction of former Artsakh amy commander Jalal Harutyunyan, who will serve a prison sentence of 5 years and 6 months.

The court on Wednesday rejected the appeals filed by Harutyunyan and his defense team against the January 2025 guilty verdict and subsequent rulings by lower courts, confirming that no procedural violations had occurred. The decision entered into force immediately.

Harutyunyan was found guilty of on-duty negligence resulting in the death of 20 soldiers of the Tsor military unit during the 2020 Artsakh war.

Families of the fallen soldiers had accused Harutyunyan of deliberately delaying proceedings in hopes of reaching the statute of limitations, which would expire on October 12.