KNOWING SEFILYAN WAS A CRIME?
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[06:52 pm] 24 July, 2007
"We will win", announced "Motherland and Honor" party member Vardan
Malkhasyan while entering the courtroom.
The Judge of Kentron-Nork-Marash Communities tried to comment on the
speeches of Zhirayr Sefilyan, Vardan Malkhasyan and Vahan Aronyan which
caused their arrest. Judge Mnacakan Malkhasyan wanted to understand
what Vardan Malkhasyan meant when he declared "We should get read of
these monsters".
Vardan Malkhasyan wanted to know who the investigating body considered
a "monster" and accused him of changing the power by force. Vardan
Malkhasyan read his speech completely and added: "I said all those
who oppress the Armenians, who sell the territories obtained by blood
are traitors, criminals and inner enemies. If the court decides that
all that I said referred to the RA authorities, I will confess guilty".
Malkhasyan insisted that he blamed Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan
for selling the motherland, but he never made an appeal to change
the authorities.
"Mr Kocharyan, no one trusts the judicial system today, since some
people consider themselves higher than any law or justice and do not
allow judges to think and that comes from the presidential office.
Everyone says what I have said. I wonder why these people are afraid
of criticism. We have been detained for 8 months and the court is in
such a situation that it has to chose the harshest sentence for us".
Vardan Malkhasyan and Zhirayr Sefilyan are held under Article 301 of
the RA Criminal Code according to which they must be imprisoned for
3 months. Zhirayr Sefilyan refused to testify. The judge questioned
the witnesses. 4 of 30 witnesses were present incourt today. The
prosecutor, Arthur Lazarian, did not have any questions for the
witnesses, while Mnacakanyan was satisfied by confirming they knew
Sefilyan and Malkhasyan.
Vahe Grigoryan and Ara Zakaryan mediated the hearing to completion
because the prosecutor did not have any questions for the
witnesses. The Court hearing was delayed till 12:00 p.m. 30 July.