Epress.am News from Armenia
The trial of Armenian National Congress youth activists David Kiramijyan and Sargis Gevorgyan, which lasted about 7 months, ended today.
Recall that Kiramijyan has been accused of “hooliganism” under Article 258 Section 1 Point 3 of Armenia’s Criminal Code, while Gevorgyan is being charged under Article 316 Section 1 for “violence against a representative of the authorities.”
Prior to the court issuing its ruling, the defendants’ attorneys, in their closing remarks, noted that not a single statement made or evidence produced during the trial supported the charges against their clients.
Furthermore, the defense attorneys reaffirmed that their clients committed no crime; on the contrary, violence was committed against them.
In his ruling, Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan opted not to go with a conditional sentence and instead assigned a two-year probationary period. (Recall that the prosecutor had asked for a three-year probation.)
The case was launched when, according to Kiramijyan and Gevorgyan, they, along with 15 others, attempted to take a stroll through Yerevan’s Freedom Square on May 31, 2010, but were stopped by police, who then detained them. Kiramijyan was held for one month, while Gevorgyan was held for 3 days.
According to their testimony, the youth were subject to violence by police during their detention. The police, on the other hand, said it was the youth who attacked them when they arrested them.