Epress.am News from Armenia
Court of First Instance of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun Communities of Yerevan Judge Levon Avetisyan on June 6 dismissed Karabakh War veteran, Reserve Colonel Volodya Avetisyan's lawyer Ara Zakaryan's petition to release his client on bail.
Recall, Avetisyan is accused of taking a $2,000 bribe. He doesn't admit to the charges; moreover, he claims the charges against him are a result of political persecution, as he was one of the organizers of protests by war veterans demanding better treatment and improved social conditions.
Prior to the start of the hearing, Avetisyan's supporters demonstrated outside the courthouse, while inside, they greeted him with applause and songs.
Those present in the courtroom asked the judge to install microphones, saying that they can't hear him, or at least to provide a larger and more convenient courtroom. The situation in the room escalated following these demands. The judge reprimanded a few members of the public, instructing the bailiffs to remove from the room one of Avetisyan's supporters, Karabakh War veteran Susanna Margaryan. The judge said that the "journalist woman" constantly interferes with the hearings, to which Margaryan said she is not a journalist, adding that she does not intend to leave the room.
The judge agreed to allow Margaryan to stay on one condition: if she apologizes to those present. The war veteran, addressing the crowd, said: "Sorry to the Armenian people." The response, however, did not satisfy Judge Avetisyan, who asked her also to apologize to the court, to which she said: "I said sorry to the Armenian people — are you not Armenian?" Margaryan, in any case, didn't leave the room.
The judge went to the consultation room for about half an hour to consider the motion. After he returned, the controllers closed the door and prohibited many of Avetisyan's supporters to return to the room, explaining there's no room inside. Judge Avetisyan said the crowd was being disorderly. Those present asked for video footage as evidence.
The hearing was postponed to June 13 at 2 pm.
