TRIAL ON CASE AGAINST ZHIRAYR SEFILIAN FINISHES

Noyan Tapan
Jul 24, 2007

YEREVAN, JULY 24, NOYAN TAPAN. The trial on the case against Zhirayr
Sefilian, the Coordinator of the In Defence of Liberated Territories
public civil initiative, finished on July 24 at the first instance
court of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash communities. The legal
arguments’ stage will start on July 30.

Vardan Malkhasian accused of making appeals of seizing the state power
stated at the end of the trial that Article 301 of the RA Criminal
Code, by which he is accused, is not formulated clearly: it is not
understandable, in what case a statement is an appeal and in what case
an opinion. According to the defendant, it is not understandable,
either, by what principle they choose the punishment starting from
three months up to three years.

Four out of thirty witnesses called to the court were
interrogated. Armen Aghayan and Armen Yeghyan, representatives of the
In Defence of Liberated Territories public civil initiative, were also
among them. They declared that no appeal to seize the power had been
voiced during the meeting of the Consolidation of Armenian Volunteers.

The court sustained the defence party’s petition to limit the
interrogation of the witnesses. The court will touch upon the
petitions done by the defence party earlier, regarding changing
the defendants’ preventive punishment and invalidating the proof,
protocols of searches, in its sentence.