Clash in Court between Police and Defendants Charged with Theft

The trial in the case of Armen Martirosyan, Karen Karapetyan and Petros Hakobyan accused of several accounts of theft and banditry resumed at the Court of First Instance of Arabkir and Qanaqer-Zeytun Communities of Yerevan on Sept. 7 at 3:15 pm. As reported by the Helsinki Association for Human Rights, during the entire duration of the trial, the defendants were in handcuffs. There were 12 police officers and 5 stewards present in the courtroom.

 

The accused asked for 1 week to prepare an appeal to replace the judge. The judge, however, granted the defense 30 minutes.

According to the Epress.am correspondent on the scene, during the recess, Karen Karapetyan was unable to consult with his attorney since police officers surrounded them, threatening the defendant by saying “I’ll throw you in the punishment [solitary] cell.”

 

After recess, the judge ruled against the defendants’ appeal, though the motion as such had not yet been put forth.

 

The Helsinki Association notes that during the trial, the judge forced the defendants to present their final words, not wanting to allot more time for their preparation. Armen Martirosyan expressed his discontent on this matter, pushing the table in front of him to stand up, which was followed by the judge’s order to remove the defendants from the courtroom. A clash between the defendants and police ensued and the judge changed his position, calling for a 20-minute recess, after which the trial continued with the defendants present. After recess, the trial was declared postponed till Sept. 20 at 12 pm.

Recall, the trial against Armen Martirosyan began in Aug. 2010. He, along with Karen Karapetyan and Petros Hakobyan, is being accused of several incidents of theft and banditry conducted in 2009.

 

Ophelia Martirosyan, Armen’s mother, contacted the Helsinki Association earlier, saying that her son’s testimony was extracted through torture. As previously reported, during the trial, Martirosyan tried to kill himself on three separate occasions. After the last attempt on Aug. 29, Martirosyan left the medical center with 150 stitches in his hands and abdominal regions where he hurt himself.