"Keep your heads up and stay strong"
Apparently, the Appeals Court proofread the verdict announced by the first instance court of the Kentron and Nork-Marash districts for Nikol Pashinyan. Leaving the ruling of the first instance court unchanged, the appeals court today applied amnesty for the sentencing that Nikol Pashinyan didn't serve.
"This is a humiliating and illegal ruling. We couldn't have expected a different ruling from the RA courts, but every time we think the courts will remember their mission and justice will be served. The first instance court had to apply amnesty in the beginning. We weren't expecting amnesty, but a fair verdict because Pashinyan has not committed any crime," Pashinyan's advocate Lusine Sahakyan told "A1+" today. Amnesty will apply to Pashinyan only after the court's verdict is put into effect. It is difficult to say just when the Appeals Court's ruling will be in effect because lawyers are preparing to appeal to the Cassation Court.
According to Lusine Sahakyan, the courts have committed crimes by announcing verdicts of sentencing for the cases of March 1, 2008. Nikol Pashinyan's verdict was announced in the absence of the prosecutors. "The prosecutors hadn't shown up because they were convinced that the Appeals Court would leave the ruling of the first instance court unchanged and that their appeal was formal," said Mrs. Sahakyan. The prosecution had also filed an appeal against the ruling of the instance court by which Pashinyan was justified by Part 1 of Article 316.
Frustrated with the Appeal Court's protest, Nikol Pashinyan tried to calm the gathered. "Keep your heads up and stay strong. We are going to win. Fight, fight until the end." The people gathered outside the court responded more sharply to the verdict. "Shame, shame", "You will be brought to justice"-screamed the gathered. Former political prisoner Vardges Gaspar started screaming "Serzhik, assassin". The police asked their cameramen to film Gaspar, but that only inspired Gaspar and when the police decided to take measures to silence him, all the gathered started screaming the same thing.
