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Levon Mnatsakanyan (born 14 September 1965 in Stepanakert) is an Armenian military officer, lieutenant general, former commander of the Nagorno-Karabakh Defense Army, and former Minister of Defense of the Republic of Artsakh (2015–2018).
He was detained by Azerbaijani forces on 29 September 2023 at the Hakari Bridge checkpoint, established following Azerbaijan’s illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor. He is currently in preventive detention and is being tried before the Baku Military Court as part of a collective case involving 14 other Armenian citizens.
Mnatsakanyan is accused of “involvement in a criminal organization during specific periods” under at least 24 articles of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Azerbaijan, including Article 103 (genocide), Article 114 (mercenarism), and Article 214 (terrorism).
According to open sources (pro-government Azerbaijani media), statements attributed to him were presented during court hearings in March and September 2025, addressing military service, and his career history.
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On 13 November 2025, the prosecution requested that the court sentence Levon Mnatsakanyan to life imprisonment.
On 23 November 2025, in his final statement, former Commander of the Artsakh Defense Army, rejected three primary the charges brought against him.
