If new facts emerge during the investigation, additional charges may be brought against Vagif Khachatryan, a fugitive of genocide in Meshali village of Azerbaijan’s Khojaly district, Deputy Military Prosecutor of Azerbaijan, Fuad Mammadov, said, News.az reports.

He is currently accused of committing massacres of Azerbaijanis in the village of Meshali.

Mammadov revealed that during the investigation, it came to light that Vagif Khachatryan and other Armenians involved in the armed attack on Meshali had pre-planned the attack, which is substantiated by witness testimonies, victim statements, and expert conclusions. The attack was aimed at forcibly removing people from the village and subsequently causing their death, he told local media.

Khachatryan was detained while trying to go to Armenia for treatment through the mediation of the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The investigation established that Khachatryan, born in 1955, a citizen of the Republic of Azerbaijan, born in Badara village of Khojaly district and worked as a driver in Khankendi city automobile transport company, together with other people of Armenian nationality, used various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, to kill all Azerbaijani residents of Meshali village (Khojaly district) as a single national group.

Using various weapons, including firearms and infantry fighting vehicles, they attacked the village, killed 25 and injured 14 people of Azerbaijani nationality, and, contrary to national and international law norms, expelled 358 Azerbaijanis from their domicile.

In addition, Khachatryan continued his criminal actions together with his accomplices, destroying and damaging property belonging to the state and villagers, causing a total of over 5.96 million manat ($3.5 million) of material damage.

Due to the fact that sufficient reasonable suspicions arose regarding the criminal case, it was decided to involve Khachatryan as an accused person under articles 103 (massacre) and 107 (deportation or forced movement of the population) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. However, due to the fact that his whereabouts were unknown to the investigation, on November 12, 2013, an international arrest warrant was issued by the court's decision.