Epress.am News from Armenia
The Syunik Court of Universal Jurisdiction refused to transfer Arman Muradyan’s case, died during military service in NKR, to Armenia. Currently, the trial is taking place in a court in the unrecognized NKR capital of Stepanakert, while official documents say the trial is taking place at the “Syunik Court of Universal Jurisdiction’s Stepanakert Division.”
The soldier’s father, Hovsep Muradyan, asked the Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan to examine the issue of transferring the case to Syunik Court. On November 3rd, The Syunik Court of Universal Jurisdiction President Samvel Grigoryan sent Andreasyan a letter, which states;
“It is reported, that the Syunik Court of First Instance examines cases according to Armenian law, which also planned for the possibility of court trials outside Armenia, at the corresponding X military base and cities found near X military bases.
In parallel, it is reported, that the court has already decided the next court session’s place and time, about which the sides were properly informed.”
Epress.am spoke to lawyer Harutyun Baghdasaryan, who stated that the existence of Universal Jurisdiction Court’s Stepanakert division contradicts the Armenian Judicial Code Article 24.4, which states “The Provincial Universal Jurisdiction Courts are allowed to have other division within the provinces administrative territory.” The lawyer stressed that Stepanakert is not within the Syunik provinces administrative territory.
Hovsep Muradyan told Epress.am that he was very upset with the decision. According to him, he is not planning to attend the trials related to his son in Stepanakert, because the trial is convening in another state, where cases are easily covered up. He also noted that he does not have the financial capacity to go to Nagorno-Karabakh for every court session. Muradyan does not trust the conclusion of suicide put forth by the preliminary investigation for his son’s death, which Ruben Martirosyan, a military expert, also denies.
Muradyan’s son’s case also raises the issue of Armenian citizens' serving in the NKR army. Lawyer Mushegh Shushanyan spoke to Epress.am about the latter issue taken to European Court of Human Rights for another very similar case.
Photograph courtnkr.am