Cassation Court returns appeal of Harsnakar murder defendants
Court of Cassation has returned the appeal of the defendants in a high-profile murder case and gave them seven days to correct the errors. The defendants, who were officially presented as security guards or workers of the Harsnakar restaurant in Yerevan, were accused of beating to death a customer in an incident that happened in June 2012. In March 2014, a Yerevan court gave the each of the six defendants – Garik Margaryan, Arman Khachatryan, Arman Baghdasaryan, Arthur Babloyan, Norayr Hayrapetyan and David Adamyan - 12 years in prison - one year less than demanded by the prosecuting attorney. The court also ruled that each of the defeands must pay a fine of 100,000-dram (about $250) . The death of Vahe Avetyan, a 35-year-old father of three, shocked the nation. The incident caused a public uproar in Armenia as hundreds of civic activists and other citizens held demonstrations at the restaurant as well as the house of its owner Ruben Hayrapetyan. This led to Hayrapetyan’s resignation as member of the Armenian parliament.
