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SHANT'S REVOLUTION: DOCUMENTARY ON AN ARMENIAN POLITICAL PRISONER
11.05.2014 13:39 epress.am
On October 31, 2013, Tseghakron Party leader Shant Harutyunyan
announced the start of his protest movement. According to Harutyunyan,
he was planning to start a revolution against the criminal regime.
Before the rally on November 5 , he stressed that he would not use
combat weapons during his revolution, and that it was open for those
who wanted to join him.
On the way from Liberty Square towards Mashtots Avenue, plainclothes
policemen began to provoke rally participants, which led to a fight
breaking out between the officers and protesters. The police took 20
people into custody, subsequently, 14 of them were to stand trial.
Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction MP Nikol Pashinyan and
human rights defender Artur Sakunts met with Shant Harutyunyan, who
stated that Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan had beaten him while in
police custody.
On November 7, Epress.am spoke with human rights defender Mikayel
Danielyan, who stated that Shant Harutyunyan was a political prisoner.
Afterwards, the same status was given to Harutyunyan by a line of
Armenian and international human rights organizations and Armenian
political parties.
Harutyunyan and his friends were officially charged with hooliganism,
and some with violence toward a representative of the authorities.
Human rights defenders registered numerous violations during both
the preliminary investigation and trial process. Relatives of the
arrested were not allowed to visit them for a few months, the trial's
plaintiffs were the police officers, who had been in plainclothes
during the rally.
The Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan often guided police officers giving
testimony and helped them avoid undesirable questions. On July 12th,
the first day of the trial, a man named Hayk Kyureghyan announced
outside the court that he would not let them "judge Shant" and jumped
on a car, firing an airsoft gun toward police officers. Kyureghyan
was arrested and later announced that he had also been beaten at
the police department, while Shant Harutyunyan welcomed Kyureghyan's
actions in the courtroom.
During the entire trial, Harutyunyan and his friends were announced
that they were politically persecuted and that they did not accept
the charges against them.
On October 17, Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan officially sentenced Shant
Harutyunyan to 6 years imprisonment, Albert Margaryan also received
6 years, Vahe Lazarian 7 years, Liparit Poghosyan 5 years, Vardan
Vardanyan 5 years, Hayk Harutyunyan 4 years 6 months, Alek Poghosyan
4 years, Mkrtich Hovhannisyan 4 years, Armen Hovhannisyan 2 years,
Sevak Mnatsakanyan 1 years 6 months, Tigran Petrosyan 1 year, and
Misak Arakelyan was fined fifty times the minimum salary.
Shant Harutyunyan's son, Shahen Harutyunyan, was sentenced to 4 years
imprisonment, but the judge determined to conditionally not apply
the sentence, instead he set probation for 4 years.
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/11/05/film-shants-revolution.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk1wpC0mrxc
11.05.2014 13:39 epress.am
On October 31, 2013, Tseghakron Party leader Shant Harutyunyan
announced the start of his protest movement. According to Harutyunyan,
he was planning to start a revolution against the criminal regime.
Before the rally on November 5 , he stressed that he would not use
combat weapons during his revolution, and that it was open for those
who wanted to join him.
On the way from Liberty Square towards Mashtots Avenue, plainclothes
policemen began to provoke rally participants, which led to a fight
breaking out between the officers and protesters. The police took 20
people into custody, subsequently, 14 of them were to stand trial.
Armenian National Congress (HAK) faction MP Nikol Pashinyan and
human rights defender Artur Sakunts met with Shant Harutyunyan, who
stated that Police Chief Vladimir Gasparyan had beaten him while in
police custody.
On November 7, Epress.am spoke with human rights defender Mikayel
Danielyan, who stated that Shant Harutyunyan was a political prisoner.
Afterwards, the same status was given to Harutyunyan by a line of
Armenian and international human rights organizations and Armenian
political parties.
Harutyunyan and his friends were officially charged with hooliganism,
and some with violence toward a representative of the authorities.
Human rights defenders registered numerous violations during both
the preliminary investigation and trial process. Relatives of the
arrested were not allowed to visit them for a few months, the trial's
plaintiffs were the police officers, who had been in plainclothes
during the rally.
The Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan often guided police officers giving
testimony and helped them avoid undesirable questions. On July 12th,
the first day of the trial, a man named Hayk Kyureghyan announced
outside the court that he would not let them "judge Shant" and jumped
on a car, firing an airsoft gun toward police officers. Kyureghyan
was arrested and later announced that he had also been beaten at
the police department, while Shant Harutyunyan welcomed Kyureghyan's
actions in the courtroom.
During the entire trial, Harutyunyan and his friends were announced
that they were politically persecuted and that they did not accept
the charges against them.
On October 17, Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan officially sentenced Shant
Harutyunyan to 6 years imprisonment, Albert Margaryan also received
6 years, Vahe Lazarian 7 years, Liparit Poghosyan 5 years, Vardan
Vardanyan 5 years, Hayk Harutyunyan 4 years 6 months, Alek Poghosyan
4 years, Mkrtich Hovhannisyan 4 years, Armen Hovhannisyan 2 years,
Sevak Mnatsakanyan 1 years 6 months, Tigran Petrosyan 1 year, and
Misak Arakelyan was fined fifty times the minimum salary.
Shant Harutyunyan's son, Shahen Harutyunyan, was sentenced to 4 years
imprisonment, but the judge determined to conditionally not apply
the sentence, instead he set probation for 4 years.
http://www.epress.am/en/2014/11/05/film-shants-revolution.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fk1wpC0mrxc