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Grigor Voskerchyan removed from the courtroom
[03:26 pm] 13 March, 2009

`I feel awfully bad,’ defendant Grigor Voskerchyan, ex Mayor of
Abovyan City, repeated during today’s court hearing on the case of
seven opposition activists standing trial on charges of boisterously
provoking deadly post-election violence in Armenia in 2008.

But the Judge in the case, Mnatsakan Martirosyan ignored the
defendant’s complaints and didn’t even give him a chance to explain
everything more accurately. Instead, he silenced Voskerchyan and
continued the court hearing. Mnatsakan Martirosyan noted that as usual
the defendant had shown contempt of court and didn’t stop. `Is your
misbehaviour connected with your ill health or¦?’ asked Mnatsakan
Martirosyan. Voskerchyan replied that he wouldn’t stand, anyway.

This made Judge Martirosyan vehement and he decided to removed
Voskerchyan from the hall for ten days as he had done with the other
five defendants. After Voskerchyan’s expulsion his relatives and
members of the Armenian National Congress (HAK) left the
courtroom. Only policemen were seen in the courtyard.

Shortly afterwards lawyer Stepan Voskanyan motioned for a recess. He
asked the Judge to invite doctors to examine his client.

`If Voskerchyan felt well, he wouldn’t have been examined for an hour
in prison today,’ noted Stepan Voskanyan. The lawyer also said that
his client had had a right lung infarction but the Judge paid no
attention to the fact and rejected all petitions.

Note that Grigor Voskerchyan celebrates his 52nd anniversary on March 13.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress