Epress.am News from Armenia
Prosecutors Koryun Piloyan and Artur Davtyan were not present in court yesterday in the appeal case of Vram Baghdasaryan, who was charged in the May 12, 2010 murder of 23-year-old Khachik Mkrtchyan and sentenced to 14 years in prison.
Taking this fact into consideration, the appellant’s attorneys, members of the Helsinki Association for Human Rights Gayane Khachatryan and Nina Karapetyants motioned to postpone the hearing. Judges Gagik Avetisyan and Eva Darbinyan, nevertheless, decided to move forward and hear the case in court.
Soon after the hearing began, RA Court of Appeals President Tigran Sahakyan opened the doors of the courtroom, looked at those present for a few moments and left, a little while after which Judge Eva Darbinyan’s assistant approached her and whispered something in her ear. A little while after that, presiding Judge Gagik Avetisyan left the courtroom.
Returning, Judge Avetisyan announced that there’s been a change of plans and the hearing has to be postponed, as the prosecutors called and said they could not be present in court and requesting the hearing not to take place in their absence.
“In my opinion, [Judge] Avetisyan really isn’t in control of the situation in the court. The hearing is presided over by the police and the prosecution, but not Avetisyan,” said Helsinki Association for Human Rights President Mikael Danielyan, in conversation with Epress.am after Thursday’s hearing.