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COURT OF CASSATION ORDERS RETRIAL OF JAILED OPPOSITION YOUTHS' APPEALS
HUMAN RIGHTS | 08.05.13 | 14:22
Photolure
By GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The Court of Cassation has partially satisfied the appeals made in
the case of four opposition youths against the decision by the Court
of Appeal by which their jail sentences - between 2 and 6 years -
were left unchanged.
At the hearing on Wednesday the counsel for the defense demanded that
the young members of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) - Tigran
Arakelyan, Artak Karapetyan, Sargis Gevorgyan and Davit Kiramjyan
charged in connection with an August 2011 altercation with police -
be acquitted, given that the Court of Appeal failed to consider a
number of key circumstances in passing its verdict.
The Court of Cassation eventually decided to send the case back to
the Appeals Court for retrial.
Such a development proved unexpected for the opposition. Yet, ANC
parliamentary leader Levon Zurabyan called it a "purely political"
decision.
"The case was accepted to the Court of Cassation only because there
is serious international pressure around it. It was clear to us that
they will not be acquitted, but they will keep them in suspense. They
[authorities] cannot understand that it won't in any way frighten
our youths and prevent them from defending their rights," Zurabyan
told ArmeniaNow.
In November last year the Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the first
instance court verdicts and sentences passed on the four opposition
activists five months before.
The case concerned alleged assault against police officers in August
2011. Tigran Arakelyan received the longest term (6 years) for
"hooliganism and assault against police officers applying life- or
health-threatening and non-threatening violence". Another defendant
in the same case Artak Karapetyan was charged with hooliganism and
non life-threatening assault against an authority representative and
sentenced to three years. The other two - Sargis Gevorgyan and Davit
Kiramjyan - charged with hooliganism, were sentenced to two years each.
The ANC has repeatedly claimed that its youth activists are victims
of political persecution. Government officials, meanwhile, have
dismissed such claims, insisting that the matter concerns a legal
case that should not be politicized.
Remarkably, the ANC used the occasion of the arrests of its members in
August 2011 to discontinue a newly started process of dialogue with
coalition members regarding political issues. Later, the opposition
alliance repeatedly called for its activists to be released.
The U.S. Department of State addressed the case of Arakelyan and the
three other activists in April, citing assessments of human rights
organizations that the severe rulings passed on the activists had
political motives. Earlier, in January, Human Rights Watched also
reflected on the case, calling for an effective investigation of the
activists' complaints.
Members and supporters of the ANC staged a demonstration in front of
the Court of Cassation building in Yerevan today, demanding that the
four young oppositionists be released.
From: Baghdasarian
HUMAN RIGHTS | 08.05.13 | 14:22
Photolure
By GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The Court of Cassation has partially satisfied the appeals made in
the case of four opposition youths against the decision by the Court
of Appeal by which their jail sentences - between 2 and 6 years -
were left unchanged.
At the hearing on Wednesday the counsel for the defense demanded that
the young members of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) - Tigran
Arakelyan, Artak Karapetyan, Sargis Gevorgyan and Davit Kiramjyan
charged in connection with an August 2011 altercation with police -
be acquitted, given that the Court of Appeal failed to consider a
number of key circumstances in passing its verdict.
The Court of Cassation eventually decided to send the case back to
the Appeals Court for retrial.
Such a development proved unexpected for the opposition. Yet, ANC
parliamentary leader Levon Zurabyan called it a "purely political"
decision.
"The case was accepted to the Court of Cassation only because there
is serious international pressure around it. It was clear to us that
they will not be acquitted, but they will keep them in suspense. They
[authorities] cannot understand that it won't in any way frighten
our youths and prevent them from defending their rights," Zurabyan
told ArmeniaNow.
In November last year the Criminal Court of Appeals upheld the first
instance court verdicts and sentences passed on the four opposition
activists five months before.
The case concerned alleged assault against police officers in August
2011. Tigran Arakelyan received the longest term (6 years) for
"hooliganism and assault against police officers applying life- or
health-threatening and non-threatening violence". Another defendant
in the same case Artak Karapetyan was charged with hooliganism and
non life-threatening assault against an authority representative and
sentenced to three years. The other two - Sargis Gevorgyan and Davit
Kiramjyan - charged with hooliganism, were sentenced to two years each.
The ANC has repeatedly claimed that its youth activists are victims
of political persecution. Government officials, meanwhile, have
dismissed such claims, insisting that the matter concerns a legal
case that should not be politicized.
Remarkably, the ANC used the occasion of the arrests of its members in
August 2011 to discontinue a newly started process of dialogue with
coalition members regarding political issues. Later, the opposition
alliance repeatedly called for its activists to be released.
The U.S. Department of State addressed the case of Arakelyan and the
three other activists in April, citing assessments of human rights
organizations that the severe rulings passed on the activists had
political motives. Earlier, in January, Human Rights Watched also
reflected on the case, calling for an effective investigation of the
activists' complaints.
Members and supporters of the ANC staged a demonstration in front of
the Court of Cassation building in Yerevan today, demanding that the
four young oppositionists be released.
From: Baghdasarian