Sentence of Armenian pilots in Equatorial Guinea “absurd”, envoy says

Noyan Tapan news agency
6 Dec 04

Yerevan, 6 December: The written verdict of a court in Equatorial
Guinea as regards Armenian pilots is absurd, Ambassador Sergey
Minasaryan [who headed the Armenian delegation during visits to
Malabo], who has returned from this country, has told journalists. The
court verdict said the Armenian pilots had performed unauthorized
flights, while the ambassador believes that every flight even in an
African country is registered by the computer.

Ambassador Minasaryan said everything had been done to reach “common
ground” with the authorities in Equatorial Guinea, including a request
by the Armenian president to his counterpart to hand over the Armenian
pilots. Another address was made by Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin
II, but no reply followed. The Armenian president has recently sent
his second appeal, together with a draft agreement on extradition.

The ambassador believes that the verdict caught everyone off guard
because while the prosecutor had asked for 86 years’ imprisonment for
one of the local residents, the court sentenced him only to 13 months
in prison. At the same time, the sentences of the Armenian pilots
are too harsh: the captain of the crew was sentenced to 24 years,
while the rest of the crew got 14 years and different penalties.

Sergey Minasaryan added that on the day following the verdict he
was allowed to meet the Armenian pilots. He said they were in a
bad psychological condition because they were still in handcuffs
and shackles.

The diplomat assured journalists that more efforts would be taken,
that work was progressing in all directions, “but we have to keep in
mind the specificity of the country in question”.

The Armenian side has already appealed to the Supreme Court of
Equatorial Guinea, but if its verdict is also negative, Armenia will
apply to international institutions.

[Six Armenian pilots have been convicted for attempting to stage a
coup d’etat in Equatorial Guinea.]