Epress.am News from Armenia
From the first day, the trial in the case of the attempted murder of Armenian presidential candidate Paruyr Hayrikyan has progressed according to 'estimation by sight,' not according to the law; the punishment too has been determined by estimation, said former presidential candidate Vardan Sedrakyan's attorney Aleksander Sirunyan in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Districts on Monday.
Recall, Judge Gagik Poghosyan sentenced Sedrakyan (accused of ordering the attempted murder) to 14 years' imprisonment, though prosecutor Aram Amirzadyan had asked for 12 years. Samvel Harutyunyan, accused of organizing the attempted murder, received 12 years behind bars, while Khachik Poghosyan was sentenced to 14 years in prison for shooting Hayrikyan.
Sentenced to long-term imprisonment, Vardan Sedrakyan acknowledged the ruling without any display of emotion. Asked by a reporter to what extent did Sedrakyan expect such a ruling, he said: "You've been following the trial. Did you hear any evidence against me?"
According to his attorney, Sirunyan, he's not sure who shot Hayrikyan, but that his client had nothing to do with it is a fact.
"Perhaps they shot and perhaps they shot Paruyr Hayrikyan. What does Vardan have to do with that? This case, the amount of evidence they had, was a month-and-a-half-long case; it was prolonged artificially. We were saying, speed it up; do what you have to do, so we can finish quickly," said Sirunyan, adding that they're preparing to appeal the verdict in the upper courts and if necessary, also the European Court of Human Rights.
Asked for his reaction to the court adding two years to his client's imprisonment, Sirunyan said, "They probably considered that he's ill; otherwise, they might've given him 20 years."