ARMAN BABAJANYAN WAITING FOR DEFENSE MINISTRY TO REPLY
Lragir, Armenia
Nov 6 2006
Arman Bajanyan, sentenced to four years in prison for forging documents
and avoiding military service, who is the editor-in-chief of the Time
Yerevan Newspaper, asked the Ministry of Defense to apply the law,
adopted in 2003 which provides for a payment for stopping prosecution
of persons who adoid military service.
"Everyone aged 27, who did not serve in the army between 1992 and 2005,
they have an opportunity to be in any place of the country, America,
Russia or Europe, they can pay this sum through the consular services
and not be prosecuted. If this law can be applied to anyone, it can
be applied to Arman Babajanyan too," says the attorney. He says the
commission, which studies the applications connected with this law,
is led by the defense minister. Attorney Postanjyan has sent him a
telegram running that Arman Babajanyan has submitted te application and
is ready to pay the required sum. And the required sum is 1 million 800
thousand drams, which may be cut in case the person studied or married
and had children over the given period. The defense ministry is to
reply within a month, 10 days are left. Arman Babajanyan’s attorney
declines to speak about the possibility of rejecting or accepting the
application but she says no cases of rejection have been reported so
far. Zaruhi Postanjyan says she does not know whether the Ministry
of Defense will meet Babajanyan’s application, but she knows that
"our government is not rich enough to sustain one more prisoner."
If the Ministry of defense meets Babajanyan’s application, the
procuracy has to stop prosecution. However, there is already the
verdict of the court sentencing Babajanyan to four years in prison but
it has not been applied yet because the case still has to be tried by
the Cassation Court. Therefore, Arman Babajanyan is under prosecution.
"If the given person submits the application, even if he is prosecuted,
prosecution muast be stopped. In other words, there is prosecution,
the verdict has not been applied, it means the procuracy should stop
prosecution," says Zaruhi Postanjyan. His colleague Haik Alumyan
says if the application is met, the Cassation Court must change the
verdict of the first instance court.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress