In the midst of the war, on October 15, 2020, he was promoted to the rank of "General" by the "President of Artsakh."
On October 27, Jalal Harutyunyan was dismissed from his position by an "order" from Arayik Harutyunyan.
Currently, he is under criminal investigation in Armenia, and the case has been ongoing for a considerable period.
The "Artsakh Minister" is accused of two incidents:
The failure of the counter-offensive operation against the Azerbaijani army on October 7, 2020.
The destruction of an Armenian division's personnel by the Azerbaijani Armed Forces on October 12, 2020.
This raises a simple yet crucial question: Why should the "Minister of Defense and General of an independent Artsakh" be subject to criminal prosecution in Armenia?
- These investigative actions once again demonstrate that, in 2020, Azerbaijan conducted military operations against the occupying Armenian forces.
- Nikol Pashinyan bears legal responsibility for the war waged against Azerbaijan in 2020 and is an aggressor with blood on his hands — both Azerbaijani and Armenian.
- Jalal Harutyunyan is an Armenian citizen, which is a significant point. For Armenians who left Karabakh to return to Azerbaijani territories, they must first hold refugee status, as the right to return under international law applies to refugees.
The case of Jalal Harutyunyan illustrates that Armenians who are citizens of Armenia and have left Karabakh do not possess refugee status. Consequently, their demand to return to Azerbaijani territories has no legal basis.
Moreover, individuals like Jalal Harutyunyan, who have committed crimes against the Azerbaijani people and violated the country’s territorial integrity, must not only be deprived of the right to return but also held accountable under the laws of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
Recently, Ruben Vardanyan, the "State Minister" of the now-defunct illegal entity in Karabakh, and his family have been the subject of legal defense efforts by Jared Genser in an interview with Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
This interview further confirmed that no legal expert can effectively defend Ruben Vardanyan or the so-called "DPR" leaders and terrorist network members detained in Baku, whether under national or international law. Those who have committed grave crimes against the Azerbaijani state and people must and will be punished.
