Case on part of defendant on "case of seven" Shant Haroutiunian
suspended
2817
YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan Kentron and Nork-Marash first
instance court presided over by judge Mnatsakan Martirosian on March 9
suspended the case on the part of defendant on the "case of the seven"
Shant Haroutiunian until he recovers. According to the court decision,
the examination on the part of the other 6 defendants should continue.
The note received the same day from the Vardashen penitentiary
institution, according to which Shant Haroutiunian has been behaving
aggressively since March 5 was publicized at the court. He refused to
eat, to be examined by a doctor, to meet RA Ombudsman Armen
Haroutiunian, who had come to see him, which, according to penitentiary
department’s psychiatrist, can be due to his having a psychical
disorder. A little later defendant on the case, former Foreign Minister
Alexander Arzumanian stated that S. Haroutiunian wanted to be present
at the court sitting, but he was not permitted, though he was at the
court building. The court in no way responded to the statement.
At the same time the court on its own initiative made a decision to
send S. Haroutiunian for a forensic-psychiatrical examination to find
out whether he is ill, it yes, what disease he suffers from and how
long, whether he is of sound mind, whether he was of sound mind when
committing the crime he is accused of, whether he needs compulsory
treatment or not, whether he is able to take part in the trial. The
defence side protested against the decision to suspend the case on the
part of the defendant, as a case can be suspended on the above
mentioned basis in case of a mental and other grave disease, and as to
S. Haroutiunian, there is no proof of his being ill yet. The defence
side also expressed discontent saying that it is the court that decided
the scope of questions to be asked to the experts, thus depriving the
prosecutor and defence sides of the possibility to ask questions to
experts.
The court examined and turned down the petition of self-rejection
addressed to the judge by Sargis Kloyan, the legal successor of the
aggrieved, as according to him, the judge deprived S. Kloyan of the
right to receive legal aid and the bailiffs did not permit his
representative to enter the court hall. With the motivation of being
ungrounded the judge also turned down lawyer Stepan Voskanian’s
petition, according to which the court gave no estimation to the fact
of defendant Grigor Voskerchian’s torture at the Nubarashen
penitentiary institution and thus concealed the crime. The prosecutor
side considers that the court is not a competent body in that issue,
and the competent bodies have given their estimations, and the
examination on the fact is underway.
The court again used a judicial sanction for treating the court with
disregard, and defendants Alexander Arzumanian, Sasun Mikayelian,
Myasnik Malkhasian, Hakob Hakobian, and Suren Sirunian were sent away
from the court hall for 10 days.