Epress.am News from Armenia
Defendant in the case against Shant Harutyunyan and his friends Vardan Vardanyan in court today complained about the Armenian Ombudsman's office. He said he had asked the Ombudsman to provide counsel, but he was just informed that his request remained unanswered as it was lost.
"Now I want to address the Ombudsman's written statement which reads that the papers were lost. How can someone's document be lost then get lost again? They also wrote that the corresponding employee will deal with the matter. Will you tell [me] what does ‘corresponding employee’ mean? Doesn’t he have a name, a position? So that the paper won’t get lost again, I said let me give it to you [the court]. This once again proves that the authorities use every means against us," said the defendant, directing his remarks to the judge.
Recall, Harutyunyan and several of his supporters were arrested on November 5, 2013, at the start of an anti-government march. They are accused of "hooliganism" involving weapons or objects used as weapons. Several local human rights activists and international organizations consider the men political prisoners.
Photo: One of the court hearings in the case of Harutyunyan and his friends.