Epress.am News from Armenia
Court hearing into the case of Hayk Kyureghyan, a supporter of political prisoners Shant Harutyunyan and his friends, convened today in an empty court hall. Kyureghyan was removed from the court for 10 judicial hours for disrespect toward the court (he did not stand when the judge entered) during a hearing on December 17. Today, the prosecutor did not come to court, as well as Kyureghyan’s court-appointed civil lawyer Angela Hobosyan. In the previous hearing, the lawyer stated she could not represent Kyureghyan because he had refused to have a lawyer. As a result, Judge Armen Bektashyan (pictured) postponed the hearing.
Hayk Kyureghyan’s father, Armenak Kyureghyan, did not enter the court either, remaining in the hallway and stating that he did not wish to participate in the trial, which, according to him, was a demagogy.
Armenak Kyureghyan told Epress.am that he did not know how the legal casus would be resolved; a hearing cannot be convened without the defendant or his representative, the court won't let Hayk be present in court, while the latter does not want a lawyer.
The previous hearing did not take place due to the judge dealing with another case in the consultation room.
Recall, at the start of the June 12 hearing into the case of Shant Harutyunyan and his friends, Kyureghyan climbed onto a car outside the courthouse and shot rounds from what seemed to be an air pistol in the police's direction, attempting, he said, to prevent "an erroneous judgment on Shant."
Kyureghyan informed head of a group of civil society members monitoring conditions in Armenian prisons and detention centers Hasmik Sahakyan, who had come to visit him at the Erebuni temporary detention center, that he was ill-treated during and after the arrest.