Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenia’s Administrative Court of Appeal on Monday denied a motion for early conditional release filed by Vahagn Marukyan, a lifer in Armenia’s Artik prison who has already spent 24 years behind bars.
Marukyan was given a death sentence in 1994 after being found guilty of the premeditated murder of the Chief of the Vanadzor Military Police. In 2003, Marukyan’s death sentence was replaced with a life imprisonment.
Speaking to Epress.am on Wednesday, Marukyan’s lawyer, Robert Revazyan, said they intended to appeal the refusal to the Court of Cassation. “Armenia’s justice system is not a well-established structure, and the judges do not have enough impartiality and independence to implement justice,” he added.
According to Revazyan, if the courts in Armenia were free and issued fair verdicts, the bodies which carry out criminal or administrative proceedings would also act within the framework of the law; “The problem will remain unresolved as long as they are convinced that their violations will be overlooked by the courts.”
Vahagn Marukyan has for years been seeking early conditional release on medical grounds; the courts, however, keep consistently denying his motions. During his time in prison, Marukyan has acquired a number of diseases, including severe arthritis, which has left him wheelchair-bound. In October last year, the prisoner went on a hunger strike, demanding proper medical treatment.