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SMBAT AYVAZYAN WAS ASKED OUT /VIDEO/

Politics


Today the presentees of the Court of Appeals welcomed Republic Party member Smbat Ayvazyan with warm applauses. The latter didn’t stand up when the judges entered the courtroom. Justice Grisha Melik-Sargysan got indignant at this and reminded Smbat Ayvazyan of the relevant law but Ayvazyan opposed to Grisha Melik-Sargysan saying he “doesn’t have confidence in courts.”


“You can announce your verdict and go away,” said the defendant.


The judges decided to send Ayvazyan out of the courtroom for his apparent disrespect for court.


“Do cheer up! They are criminals executing Serzh Sargsyan’s order. Don’t become despondent!” Smbat Ayvazyan said to the presentees before leaving the courtroom. The judges and prosecutor Hovsep Sargsyan dashed away to avoid foul expressions in their address.


“The law says that a person must stand up in court. We should differentiate between the terms “court” and “judge”. Our society seems to mix these two notions. Courts must be impartial, unbiased and fair and they must act within the law. Our judges disregard their duties and want the defendants to respect them,” Advocate Lusine Sahakyan gave her assessment to the judges’ behaviour. “The moment judges carry out their duties Smbat Ayvazyan and the other political prisoners will show respect for courts.”


I think they fear lest the European Court should set serious demands to Armenia. Therefore, they delay the trials so that people cannot appeal to the European Court. Moreover, with the periodical adjournment of the trials they make a rough breach of the European Convention and Armenian Constitution. Actually, we have a right to appeal this decision but since we are guided by the European Convention we shall apply to the EC only after appealing to all relevant instances in Armenia.


Let’s remind that today the Court of Appeals was to hear the appeal of Ayvazyan’s advocates against the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash districts. On November 19, 2008 the Court of General Jurisdiction had sentenced Smbat Ayvazyan to two years’ of prison for carrying illegal weapon and using violence against a government representative.


The advocates demanded that the Court justify Smbat Ayvazyan who has already been jailed for eleven months. Remind that Smbat Ayvazyan was detained on February 24, 2008 when returning home from an opposition rally at Liberty Square.


The next trial is due at 12:00, January 26.