Araik Arutyunyan

Araik Arutyunyan served as the president of the self-declared Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) from 2020 until August 2023. He was a prominent political figure during a tumultuous period marked by renewed conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Following Azerbaijan's military operation in September 2023, which led to the region coming under Azerbaijani control, Arutyunyan and several other leaders were arrested and subsequently convicted of military crimes, including terrorism and war crimes, receiving life sentences.