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TRIAL OF CASE FILED AGAINST JIRAYR SEFILIAN STARTS
Noyan Tapan
Jul 12 2007
YEREVAN, JULY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The trial of the case filed against
Jirayr Sefilian, the coordinator of the non-governmental civil
initiative "In defence of the liberated territories", and others
started on July 11.
According to the bill of indictment, Jirayr Sefilian and Vardan
Malkhasian called to conquer the state authorities by force at the
first conference of the initiative "Unity of Armenian volunteers",
which was held on December 2, 2006. In addition to this, Jirayr
Sefilian and defendant Vahan Aroyan are accused of keeping illegal
weapons.
Jirayr Sefilian classed these charges as nonsense, and Vardan
Malkhasian declared that they were submitted to "evident political
execution." As for Vahan Aroyan, he expressed conviction that Armenia
is currently in such a zone that it is necessary to have a weapon in
order to be able to protect the security of one's country and family.
Jirayr Sefilian, who did not testify in the preliminary investigation
stage, refused to give evidence and made a statement during the
court hearing.
According to him, it is useless to expect an independent trial
from the court. Jirayr Sefilian addressed Mnatsakan Martirosian,
the presiding judge, with a stressed "you" and expressed conviction
that if the judge was independent, then when he considered the case,
he should have made a decision to prevent this case. He also mentioned
that Mnatsakan Martirosian was the very judge , who presided over the
murder case of Poghos Poghosian, which was committed in the "Aragast"
("Sail") cafe in Yerevan, and the only defendant was condemned to a
conventional imprisonment and was immediately set free just in the
court hall after the judgement was read, and as for finding the man,
who had ordered this murder, no investigation was carried out in
this direction.
Since Vardan Malkhasian also refused to give evidence at this stage
of the trial, his preliminary evidence was published, according to
which, he had no purpose to ruin the authorities.
Afterwards, the court passed to the investigation of material
evidence and the documents concerning this case. Mushegh Shushanian,
the defender of Vardan Malkhasian, attracted the attention of the
court to the mistake made during the deciphering of the text of the
speech made by his defendant.
According to the materials of DVDs (Digital Video Disc) and CDs
(Compact Disc), Vardan Malkhsian has said: "We should fight against
these N.T. authorities with thier own arms," however, the following
is written in the bill of indictment: "We should fight against
these authorities only with arms." After the investigation of the
documents it also became clear that the "Makarov" pistol confiscated
from Jirayr Sefilian is a weapon which was given to him by the RA
Ministry of Defence on condition that he would return it at the end
of his service, which, however, was not done.
The defensive side introduced petitions concerning either the
elimination of detention as a preventive measure with regard to Jirayr
Sefilian and Vardan Malkhsian or setting them free with guarantees. The
court will refer to these petitions at the end of the investigation
of evidence.
Noyan Tapan
Jul 12 2007
YEREVAN, JULY 12, NOYAN TAPAN. The trial of the case filed against
Jirayr Sefilian, the coordinator of the non-governmental civil
initiative "In defence of the liberated territories", and others
started on July 11.
According to the bill of indictment, Jirayr Sefilian and Vardan
Malkhasian called to conquer the state authorities by force at the
first conference of the initiative "Unity of Armenian volunteers",
which was held on December 2, 2006. In addition to this, Jirayr
Sefilian and defendant Vahan Aroyan are accused of keeping illegal
weapons.
Jirayr Sefilian classed these charges as nonsense, and Vardan
Malkhasian declared that they were submitted to "evident political
execution." As for Vahan Aroyan, he expressed conviction that Armenia
is currently in such a zone that it is necessary to have a weapon in
order to be able to protect the security of one's country and family.
Jirayr Sefilian, who did not testify in the preliminary investigation
stage, refused to give evidence and made a statement during the
court hearing.
According to him, it is useless to expect an independent trial
from the court. Jirayr Sefilian addressed Mnatsakan Martirosian,
the presiding judge, with a stressed "you" and expressed conviction
that if the judge was independent, then when he considered the case,
he should have made a decision to prevent this case. He also mentioned
that Mnatsakan Martirosian was the very judge , who presided over the
murder case of Poghos Poghosian, which was committed in the "Aragast"
("Sail") cafe in Yerevan, and the only defendant was condemned to a
conventional imprisonment and was immediately set free just in the
court hall after the judgement was read, and as for finding the man,
who had ordered this murder, no investigation was carried out in
this direction.
Since Vardan Malkhasian also refused to give evidence at this stage
of the trial, his preliminary evidence was published, according to
which, he had no purpose to ruin the authorities.
Afterwards, the court passed to the investigation of material
evidence and the documents concerning this case. Mushegh Shushanian,
the defender of Vardan Malkhasian, attracted the attention of the
court to the mistake made during the deciphering of the text of the
speech made by his defendant.
According to the materials of DVDs (Digital Video Disc) and CDs
(Compact Disc), Vardan Malkhsian has said: "We should fight against
these N.T. authorities with thier own arms," however, the following
is written in the bill of indictment: "We should fight against
these authorities only with arms." After the investigation of the
documents it also became clear that the "Makarov" pistol confiscated
from Jirayr Sefilian is a weapon which was given to him by the RA
Ministry of Defence on condition that he would return it at the end
of his service, which, however, was not done.
The defensive side introduced petitions concerning either the
elimination of detention as a preventive measure with regard to Jirayr
Sefilian and Vardan Malkhsian or setting them free with guarantees. The
court will refer to these petitions at the end of the investigation
of evidence.