The Armenian Bar Association officially filed a complaint with US authorities proposing to impose sanctions on the Turkish company, SADAT International Defense Consultancy, Construction Industry and Trade Inc.
The association proposes to implement sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, adopted by the US in 2016, which allows for sanctions against individuals and entities responsible for human rights abuses and corruption.
The complaint alleges that SADAT based in Istanbul is involved in recruiting mercenaries and sending them to conflict zones, including Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020, without accountability.
Lucy Varpetian, chairwoman of the Armenian Bar Association, said that the filing under the Act is a call for the US Treasury to take the allegations seriously and impose sanctions.
SADAT Defense is a private military company founded under the presidency of Brigadier General Adnan Tanriverdi by 23 officers and NCOs from various units of the Turkish Armed Forces.
There is no information on SADAT’s involvement in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict on their website. However, the company stated in 2021 that it had nothing to do with mercenary organizations and could provide consulting and training services to security and military units.
