Opposition Youth Activists’ Trial Continues: ‘Cops’ and ‘Mob’ Considered Insulting Terms

Police employees Samson Gharibyan, Martiros Margaryan, Misha Mesropyan and Sahak Galstyan testified in a Yerevan district court today in the case against Armenian National Congress (HAK) youth activists Tigran Araqelyan, Sargis Gevorgyan, David Kiramijyan and Artak Karapetyan.

Recall, on Aug. 9, 2011, seven youth from the opposition bloc were detained after an incident with police near Yerevan’s Swan Lake. The next day they were arrested, while four — Areg and Vahagn Gevorgyan, David Kiramijyan and Sahak Muradyan — were released on Aug. 12 and then two more — Artak Karapetyan and Sargis Gevorgyan — were released later. The only one still detained is Tigran Araqelyan. The young activists say they were physically assaulted by police not only near Swan Lake, but also at the station.

First witness Samson Gharibyan said the youth were detained because the “situation was out of control and though police officers tried to talk with the youth, they were unsuccessful.”

According to Gharibyan, the crowd gathered at the scene of incident hindered vehicular traffic.

“The crowd or the cops?” asked Tigran Araqelyan, to which the witness said that a term insulting to police was being stated.

Judge Gagik Poghosyan reprimanded Araqelyan, warning him that strict sanctions will be applied against him if this is repeated.

Tigran Arakelyan, in turn, said that the officer is insulting people by calling them a “mob”.

Then the witness said that Arakelyan could’ve prevented the incident but didn’t. Gharibyan said this while mentioning that he saw how Arakelyan hit two police officers.

The other witness, Martiros Margaryan, was the officer who on the day of the incident drove the detained Tigran Araqelyan and Vahagn Gevorgyan, accompanied by 4 officers, to the station. During the drive he heard the sound of something being hit and when he asked one of his fellow officers what happened he was told Araqelyan hit officer Tigran Avetisyan on the nose with his head, which caused the officer’s nose to bleed. The witness also said that he heard Tigran Araqelyan ask for “the handcuffs to be loosened as his heart’s not so good” which was followed by the sound of hitting.

Araqelyan asked the witness whether he didn’t stop the car at that time, to which the witness responded in the negative.

Recall, Vahagn Gevorgyan later told the media that officer Tigran Avetisyan was strangling Araqelyan in the car, but the driver tried to intervene and during that time even stopped the car for a moment to ask Avetisyan to stop what he’s doing.

But the witness in court made no reference to Gevorgyan’s statement, and Tigran Araqelyan thanked him a few times in court.

Another witness, Misha Mesropyan, said that during the incident Tigran Araqelyan took his hat and threw it on the floor. Mesropyan was not present while the youth were being detained. He and one other officer, the other witness, Sahak Galstyan, said that Araqelyan cursed at police officers.

The next court date is set for Mar. 16 at 12 pm.

Updated 6:23 pm local time, same day: “pigs” replaced with “cops” as a better translation of the term used by the defendant.