THERE ARE TOO MANY CONTROVERSIES REGARDING SEFILYAN’S AND MALKHASYAN’S CASE

Lragir, Armenia
July 19 2007

On July 19 the Friday Club hosted Mushegh Shushanyan, Vahe Grigoryan
and Ara Zakaryan, attorneys of Vardan Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan
who had been arrested for appeals against the Constitutional order in
Armenia, and Armen Aghayan, the political secretary of the Defense of
Liberated Territories Civil Initiative and member of the Solidarity
of Armenian Volunteers Civil Initiative. They held a news conference
to tell about the controversies regarding the charges brought against
Vardan Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan.

Jirair Sefilyan is accused of carrying illegal weapon. First,
there is evidence that Jirair Sefilyan’s weapon was the award of
the commander of the defense army of Artsakh in 1998. Meanwhile,
the council for prosecution presented a document that the weapon is
registered with the ministry of defense of Armenia, and after the
service it was to be returned to the place of service. Attorney Vahe
Grigoryan says Jirair Sefilyan did not serve in the Armenian Ministry
of Defense, and finished service 8-9 years ago. Over this period the
weapon was with him, and Vahe Grigoryan wonders if the official who
was so careless about the registered weapons was made responsible.

Vardges Shirinyan was also charged with carrying illegal weapon but
the case was dismissed before the trial because Vardges Shirinyan
had participated in the war. Jirair Sefilyan also participated in
the war but he is charged with carrying illegal weapon, bullets were
found at Jirair Sefilyan’s place. Meanwhile, Armen Aghayan noticed
that in the years of war a lot of weapon appeared in his house and
it is possible that some bullets were accidentally left somewhere in
the apartment since then.

Detectives who are not authorized to attend to this case searched
Jirair Sefilyan’s house, consequently the evidence obtained through
this search does not have legal validity. The attorneys stated this
at the court of law but Justice Mnatsakan Martirosyan rejected the
petition. The attorney said the justice rejects their petition saying
that they petition at the convenient moment, afterwards when he allows,
the petitions are not taken into consideration because they are said
to be made not in the right time.

Generally, the attorneys think nothing new added during the trial,
there is no evidence that besides the alleged appeals Vardan Malkhasyan
and Jirair Sefilyan made any efforts against the Constitutional
order. The friends of Vardan Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan think
the investigation that lasted for six months intends to keep Vardan
Malkhasyan and Jirair Sefilyan behind the bars all through the period
of elections.