Epress.am News from Armenia
Witness Henrik Zakaryan in court on Tuesday claimed that he gave a bribe of $2,000 to Volodya Avetisyan (pictured) in order to place his grandson in a military unit closer to home.
After he made this statement, the war veterans supporting Avetisyan cursed him, calling him a traitor, shouting "Why don't you say that they put pressure on you?" and "How are you going to go back to Leninakan [Gyumri]? In a skirt?" (In other words, calling him a "sissy".)
Those cursing and shouting were removed from the courtroom, while Zakaryan explained that the family wanted the grandson to be in a close military unit because he has psychological problems and experiences memory loss.
Recall, Zakaryan's grandson is Henrik Hakobyan, who is also named as a witness in the case against Karabakh War veteran Volodya Avetisyan. Avetisyan doesn't admit to the charges; moreover, he claims the charges against him are a result of political persecution, since he was one of the organizers of regular protests by veterans. At the last court session, Henrik Hakobyan had said he doesn't remember whether he met with the investigator to give a testimony or not.
Zakaryan also said he was summoned to the police station for questioning, saying that they are going to reward him. "I wouldn't testify, if there wasn't a recording against me," he said in court; however, it was not made apparent in court what recording he was referring to.
"I, more than you, want Volodya Avetisyan to be released. I have nothing to claim from him," the witness added.
After questions from the defense and the prosecution, it became clear that Henrik Zakaryan was held for a long time at the police station and was not informed of his rights. The witness and his grandson were forced to spend the night at the station.
The witness gave contradictory testimonies in court, so it's unclear whether he was kept in police custody by force or the witness himself remained voluntarily.
"They let me go and I didn't go?" said Zakaryan, rather rhetorically. Later, however, he said that he had nowhere to stay in Yerevan, which is why he spent the night at the police station.
Recall, in court on Tuesday, Avetisyan's attorney Ara Zakaryan made a motion for the judge to recuse himself, since at the last court session the judge sustained the prosecution's motion to publicize the testimony witness Henrik Haboyan gave in the preliminary investigation. The witness had said in court that he doesn't remember whether he met with the investigator to give a testimony or not. Zakaryan noted that the judge first rejected then approved the same motion, whereas the circumstances hadn't changed. The attorney recalled that the right to publicize the testimonies a witness gave during the preliminary investigation is provided only in two cases: if the witness cannot come to court or when the testimony given in court is significantly different from that given during the investigation.
Avetisyan's attorney's motion, however was rejected.