POLICE TESTIMONY IS NOT ENOUGH

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[07:10 pm] 12 May, 2008

"No one can be imprisoned unless the arrest is grounded," says
barrister Dzerar Julhakian, member of the Armenian Advocates Union
(ADU) of Paris. Together with five other advocates he has arrived
in Armenia to get familiarized with the state of his Armenian
counterparts. The French advocates have met with RoA FM, Chairman of
the Advocates’ Chamber and detainees of the March 1 events.

We are mainly concerned over the state of advocates in Armenia
especially in pre- and post-election period," he says.

Though it is still too early to draw conclusions we can say that
certain pressure is exerted on advocates in Armenia. Some judicial
rules are ignored and even violated. We would give a detailed answer
in case we participated in trials and got acquainted with the material
thoroughly," says Mr. Julhakian.

The advocates will likely return to Armenia in the nearest future to
participate in the legal proceedings of March 1 events.

The ADU will issue a statement in this regard.

Courts must bring impartial and unbiased verdicts compliant with
the RoA Penal Code. At the same time they must respect the European
Convention on Human Rights. They should rely on all details at hand
and not suffice with policemen’s testimonies," he said.