Epress.am News from Armenia
Court hearing in the case into the brutal murder of Yerevan Vazgen Sargsyan Military Institute cadet Haykaz Barseghyan was postponed again on December 17 by Avan and Nor Nork district court judge Davit Harutyunyan since some of the four defendants' attorneys failed to show up to court. The first hearing on November 18 had been adjourned due to the same reason.
Namely, the presiding judge stated that defendant Movses Azaryan's lawyer, Astghik Ghazaryan, had called in sick to today's hearing; at the same time, Harutyunyan did not specify a reason for the others' absence. He announced that the lawyers were disrespectful towards the court and urged Azaryan specifically to find a new attorney. The next hearing will be held on December 24.
Speaking to reporters outside the courtroom, the victim's father, Arkady Barseghyan expressed his dissatisfaction with the delay saying: “If [the lawyer] is seriously sick, she should have informed about it in advance and not called minutes before the hearing claiming 'I'm sick, I'm not coming'.”
Barseghyan is convinced the respondents are delaying the process intentionally; however, he said he could not think of a reason why they would do so. “As far as I know, Movses Ghazaryan has two lawyers, so if one of them is sick, the other could have showed up.”
Recall, cadet Haykaz Barseghyan's body was found on January 29, 2015, hanging from a chin-up bar in the sports ground of the Vazgen Sargsyan Institute. Four cadets of the same military institute, Vache Sahakyan, Movses Azaryan, Gnel Tevosyan, and Norik Sahakyan, have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder.