TRIAL ON "CASE OF SEVEN" STARTS

Noyan Tapan

Dec 19, 2008

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. The trial on the "case of the seven"
started on December 19, parallel to which people gathered in the yard
of Yerevan Shengavit community court and in the adjoining street were
holding an action of protest.

The seven persons, mostly activists of first President Levon
Ter-Petrosian’s preelection campaign, are accused of organizing
mass disorders and seizing power after the February 19 presidential
elections. In her interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent one of
the action participants, Armenian National Congress member Anahit
Tadevosian stated that they have come to fight for their imprisoned
friends, who are unequivocally political prisoners and people
prosecuted for their political views. RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian
was also at the court hall.

The court sitting (judge Mnatsakan Martirosian) started 15 minutes
late. The people gathered in the hall met the seven defendants
standing before the court with a storm of applause. From the very start
writer-publicist Shant Haroutiunian made a statement mentioning that
he is imprisoned only for expressing his political views. According to
him, after the February 19 presidential elections he struggled against
the Putin authorities of Armenia, who are the placemen of Russia.

Besides Shant Haroutiunian, former Foreign Minister Alexander
Arzumanian, National Assembly deputies Sasun Mikayelian, Miasnik
Malkhasian, and Hakob Hakobian are among the defendants. The other
two defendants are Grigor Voskerchian and Suren Sirunian.

Defendant Suren Sirunian also made a speech saying that he has come
to "box with the authorities" and will not permit it to turn into
kickboxing. S.

Sirunian warned the court that if unequal conditions are created for
the defence and prosecutor parties, he will leave the court hall.

Defendant, former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian, in his turn,
stated that the defendants on the March 1 case and he personally are
the problem of the Republic of Armenia. He affirmed that the court
was obliged not to accept the "case of the seven" for examination,
as it is a mockery.

The defence party made a petition to challenge judge Mnatsakan
Martirosian, which was turned down by the court after an hour’s
interval. The lawyers again submitted the same petition, after which
the judge again announced an interval for two hours.