“CASE OF SEVEN” TO CONTINUE IN 2009
Support A1+!The trial of the “Case of the Seven” was postponed today to January 9, 2009 before it even began in the half-empty courtroom.
Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan came in and left. Taking the fact that the political prisoners didn’t rise when he entered the courtroom as a basis, Martirosyan postponed the trial and left without hearing the comments of the accused.
“We propose appealing to the president to issue a decree defining our term and sentence us, instead of condemning our country in front of our people and the international community,” said Myasnik Malkhasyan whose voice was barely heard in the courtroom.
Journalists were once again unable to enter the courtroom and could only hear the voices of the political prisoners from the monitor installed on the second floor. Alexander Arzumanyan stated that he will not stand up no matter how many times the judge enters the courtroom.
“Standing up is my constitutional right and that’s how I express my position. It is a civil protest. I’m not going to stand even if they postpone the trial 800 times.”
Journalists could barely hear Alexander Arzumanyan’s voice, but it was clear that he was expressing his disappointment in the judge’s capricious acts, including not letting journalists enter the courtroom and shedding light on the legal proceeding.
In addition, Myasnik Malkhasyan said to the Ombudsman Armen Harutyunyan:
“Since the PACE’s demand is to release political prisoners, we demand fulfillment of the requirements. We believe that this trial is illegal and will not stand up.”
The technical equipment provided by the court did not allow journalists to hear the rest of the statements made by the political prisoners. Meanwhile, supervisors tried to move journalists and relatives of the political prisoners away from the court building.
Taking the ANC statement on the provocations that await the “Case of Seven” as a basis, the relatives of the political prisoners did not enter the courtroom leaving the seats empty for the shaved-heads and police officers who did not let mass media outlets film the trial.
After the court session, Alexander Arzumanyan’s attorney Hovik Arsenyan told “A1+”:
“Since those charged with the “Case of Seven” are considered political prisoners by the PACE Monitoring Committee and the PACE requires the free release, this trial is illegal and the political prisoners don’t have to stand up because they are being prosecuted for political views.”
Arsenyan recalled that the RA legislation doesn’t state that everyone must rise when the judge enters the courtroom.
“If the judge removes the defendant from the courtroom, he is obliged to postpone the trial. Thus, the judge causes chaos. Standing up for the judge doesn’t impede the legal proceeding. The culprits in court are political prisoners. They are in court due to political persecutions and they are protesting by not standing up, but the court is raising tension.”
The attorneys of the other political prisoners told “A1+” that before postponing the trial, the judge had to hear the comments of the political prisoners.
