Epress.am News from Armenia
Police officers carried Kyaram Amoyan, 19, a defendant in the "gang case," to the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Districts on Monday as he was unable to walk by himself.
During the session in court, Amoyan's condition worsened: twice an ambulance was called. Doctors lowered his blood pressure, but said the young man requires hospitalization, Amoyan's attorney, Samvel Hovhannisyan, informed Epress.am.
The attorney recalled that Amoyan's condition deteriorated after being beaten by police while in custody. While in pre-trial detention, he thrice suffered a stroke, the attorney said.
The court session, however, was not postponed, and a transcript of the defendants' phone calls was read aloud in court. Asked by presiding Judge Mkhitar Papooyan which materials the prosecution wants to make public, the prosecution chose the phone records.
Defendant Artush Hakobyan's lawyer, Hovik Arsenyan, speaking next, said the way those calls were studied suggests that the preliminary investigation aimed to blame the suspects and not to uncover the truth.
"The records of phone calls from the place of the incident did not disclose any evidence. The preliminary investigation should have made an inquiry and asked the [phone] operators who owned those phones. All that was noted there was what calls were placed from what number," Arsenyan told Epress.am.
The other defence attorneys are waiting for their turn to speak about the prosecution's actions.
Recall, five suspects are being accused of burglary and stealing from residential apartments in Sept. 2011. Their lawyers claim their clients were tortured in order to obtain evidence, and thus this evidence should not be considered in court and serve as a basis for the charges. One of the defendants, Arman Dallakyan, 41, died in the prisoners' hospital on Sept. 4. His mother informed Epress.am that not only was her son beaten, but also his parents were not allowed to give him his medication.