ANC ACCUSES ARMENIAN COURT OF APPEAL IN COOPERATION WITH AUTHORITIES
PanARMENIAN.Net
10.03.2010 11:28 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ In connection with the decision of the Armenian
Court of Appeal to uphold a verdict against the editor-in-chief
of "Haykakan Zhamanak" Nikol Pashinyan, the Armenian National
Congress (ANC) issued a statement accusing the judge in cooperation
with authorities. "Upholding a verdict against Nikol Pashinyan
unchanged, the court has once again executed an order of the Armenian
authorities," the ANC statement said.
The ANC declared that will continue to fight for the freedom of
Nikol Pashinyan and other political prisoners. The editor-in-chief
of the opposition newspaper Nikol Pashinyan was sentenced to seven
years imprisonment. The Yerevan court of first instance, court of
Kentron and Nork-Marash found Nikol Pashinyan guilty (Part 1 Article
225 of the Criminal Code – rioting), and sentenced him to 7 years
imprisonment to be served in the criminal executive institutions of
the ministry of justice.
However, the judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan acquitted Pashinyan on
charges of committing a crime envisaged by part 1, article 316 of
the Criminal Code (violence towards a representative of the authority).
Nikol Pashinyan has been the editor-in-chief of Haykakan Zhamanak
newspaper since 1999. After March 1-2, 2008 events, he was wanted by
the police. On July 1, 2009 he yielded himself to authorities and
was detained. On January 10, he ran for parliament from the 10th
constituency but did not succeed.