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Davit Ishkhanyan is an Armenian politician and statesman who has served as President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Artsakh since August 2023. He was born on 27 December 1968 in the village of Ashan, Nagorno-Karabakh (then part of the USSR). He previously served as a deputy of both the Supreme Council and the National Assembly of Artsakh and is a member of the Bureau of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation.
On 3 October 2023, Davit Ishkhanyan was arrested by Azerbaijani forces in Stepanakert and taken to Baku. He remains in preventive detention and is being tried before the Baku Military Court alongside 14 other Armenian citizens. He faces multiple charges under Azerbaijan’s Criminal Code, including allegations of genocide, mercenarism, and terrorism.
According to open sources from Azerbaijani media, Ishkhanyan made statements during several court hearings in 2025. During the hearing on 1 May 2025, a video was shown in court allegedly depicting him obstructing Azerbaijani soldiers near Shushi. Ishkhanyan disputed the authenticity of the video, stating that his physical condition at the time—he was using a cane—would have made such actions impossible.
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In subsequent hearings, his preliminary investigation testimony was presented. Ishkhanyan requested that only the testimony he gave during the court proceedings be considered. He also asked the court to provide a list of internationally registered organizations and media outlets operating in Azerbaijan; this request was denied.
At the hearing on 13 November 2025, the prosecution requested that Davit Ishkhanyan be sentenced to life imprisonment.
