COURT REFUSES APPEAL OF "ALTERNATIVE" INITIATIVE GROUP TO RECOGNIZE INVALID MAYOR’S DECISION PROHIBITING MASS MEETING IN AZATUTIAN SQUARE

Noyan Tapan
Mar 22 2007

YEREVAN, MARCH 22, NOYAN TAPAN. The Court of 1st Instance of Yerevan
communities of Kentron and Nork-Marash refused on March 22 the appeal
of Nikol Pashinian and Petros Makeyan, members of the "Aylentrank"
(Alternative) initiative group against the Yerevan Mayor. The claimant
side demanded to recognize invalid Mayor Yervand Zakharian’s 13.03.2007
decision on prohibiting the mass meeting of "Aylentrank" in Azatutian
(Liberty) square. The court at the same time found that the report
informing about the decision and the notification sent to the claimant
side was carried out with violation of the order and term fixed by
the law what, however, can not have essential meaning to satisfy the
appeal. In the words of Arsen Amian, the Mayor’s Office Representative,
Law Department Deputy Chief, the mass meeting was prohibited for the
reason that "Garun-2007" festival must be held in Azatutian square
on the same day, at 17:00-19:00, March 23. The organizer of the
festival, as it became known from explanation of the Mayor’s Office
Representative, is the Mayor’s Office.

Representative of the claimant side Vahe Grigorian in his turn stated
that the court had not been independent and impartial when carrying
out the legal procedures. He particularly complainted that the court
refused the mediations on inviting Mayor’s authorized representative
Gagik Baghdasarian as an evidence as well as on demanding copies of
registers, by what it would be proved that the decision was not made
and was not sent within that period of time as it is mentioned in the
documents. The claimant side also found that A. Amian had no proper
commissions to represent the Mayor, he represented the Mayor’s Office.

Responding the last statement, A. Amian mentioned that the Mayor’s
Office staff is called to secure implementation of the commission
preserved for the Mayor by the law. As the Noyan Tapan correspondent
was informed by the "Aylentrank" office, the claimant side intends
to appeal the court decision at the Appeal Court on Civil cases.