Artsakh human rights defender Gegham Stepanyan published a report on the terrorist operation carried out by the subversive group of the Azerbaijani armed forces on March 5.
The report summarizes the facts collected by the Artsakh HRD institution regarding the terrorist act, which resulted from the fact-finding activities from competent bodies and open sources.
According to the gathered facts, the pre-planned terrorist act occurred on March 5, around 10:00.
The police car left Stepanakert around 09:30; before that, it was parked in front of the administrative building of the Artsakh Ministry of Internal Affairs police. The car crew consisted of 4 police officers: Lt. Colonel Armen Mayori Babayan, Major Davit Valerii Danielyan, Lieutenant Ararat Telmani Gasparyan, and Lieutenant Davit Ashoti Hovsepyan.
The collected facts show that the car is moving from Stepanakert, so the claims of the Azerbaijani side that the Armenian side was transporting weapons and ammunition from the Republic of Armenia to Artsakh are groundless and false. There were only office police officers and guns in the car of Artsakh policemen leaving Stepanakert.
After approximately 30-40 minutes of driving, the car crew noticed that stones were lined up on the road, obstructing traffic. The car stopped.
Five members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group came out from behind the stones, dressed in military clothes, masked, armed with rifles, and pointing the barrels at the car.
The driver of the car tried to turn the car back, but at the same time, the five members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group from the front, as well as ten other members of the sabotage group, who were lying in wait on the right and left side of the road, started shooting at the car. The firing continued for about 10 minutes.
The external examination of the car clearly shows that the Adrien sabotage group fired hundreds of bullets at the vehicle.
After the fire stopped, three members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group approached the car, allegedly inspected the vehicle, and fired surveillance shots at the driver and the passenger sitting next to the driver. However, according to the testimony of the policeman who survived, the Azerbaijanis did not open the car’s rear compartment door, presumably not noticing that there were also passengers in the rear case.
Then, the Azerbaijani sabotage group members started to leave the crime scene to their armed bases located on the hill opposite the road.
As a result of the retaliatory fire opened by the Armenian side during the retreat of the Azerbaijanis, there were casualties and injuries among the members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group.
About 30-40 minutes after the terrorist attack, representatives of the Russian peacekeeping troops arrived. After their intervention, the fire was stopped.
After the intervention of the Russian side, the Azerbaijani side continued to retreat, taking with it the dead and wounded members of the Azerbaijani sabotage group.
Russian peacekeepers A. Gasparyan and D. Hovsepyan were given first aid on the spot and taken to the hospital.
As a result of the Azerbaijani attack, lieutenant colonel Armen Babayan, major Davit Danielyan was killed on the spot, and lieutenant Ararat Gasparyan died while being taken to the hospital. Lieutenant Davit Hovsepyan received a gunshot wound in the chest and is in the Republican Medical Center. He underwent an operation and is in the intensive care unit under the supervision of doctors; his life is not in danger.
The report was prepared in an open and a closed version in Armenian and English. It was sent to international organizations and human rights organizations.
