Epress.am News from Armenia
Prominent civic activist Vardges Gaspari today held a demonstration outside the government building in Yerevan, holding up a poster that read ‘A president who sits on the corpses of March 1 victims; prime minister who is the godfather of plain looting; police chief who licks the shoes of oligarchs.”
According to an Epress.am reporter on the scene, the police officers guarding the government building were visibly upset with the poster because they had taken Gaspari’s final statement as a personal insult. One of the officers even went up to Gaspari and demanded that the demonstrator fold up the bottom of the poster: “Dear Mr. Gaspari, it would be nice if you did not to throw personal insults. We urge you to fold up the bottom part of the poster before [proceeding with your protest]. Do you understand what I’m saying? Mister Gaspari… Did I offend you? Please, fold up the bottom part and stand here for as long as you wish. I’m just advising you what to do, do you understand?”
In a conversation with reporters, Gaspari explained the context of his statements, saying; “[Police chief] Vova Gasparyan and the Police directly serve not only Armenia’s oligarchs but also the criminal circles, which is evident from the fact that 2 years ago, when representatives of criminal circles held a gathering in [Yerevan’s] Harsnakar restaurant, Vova Gasparyan himself declared that the police were overseeing the meeting. In other words, [Vova Gasparyan] is simply the oligarchy’s puppet.”
After completing his demonstration outside the government building, Gaspari went to the Chamber of Advocates to protest over another issue. The demonstrator lay day next to the buildings entrance, claiming that he was protesting over the Chamber’s decision to assign Sasna Tsrer member Arayik Khandoyan’s brother Ararat Khandoyan a lawyer without the man’s consent.
Ararat Khandoyan was arrested on July 21, 2016, after clashes between police and supporters of Sasna Tsrer and is being accused of taking part in mass disorders and using violence against a police officer. During a hearing two weeks ago, judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan removed Khandoyan from the courtroom “for disruptive behavior,” after which, Khandoyan’s lawyer, Ara Gharagyozyan, also left the premises. Martirosyan then decided to deprive Gharagyozyan from the right to represent Khandoyan and instead assigned the defendant public defender Lianna Gasparyan against Khandoyan’s wishes.
“In addition to baselessly depriving Ararat Khandoyan of his freedom, they have now deprived him of the chance to properly defend himself. The court and [the Chamber of Advocates] assigned the man a public defender, without taking into consideration whether Khandoyan wants to be represented by this person. I am therefore protesting over this gross violation of the law, which the Chamber of Advocates is a part of,” Gaspari told reporters.
Employees of the Chamber tried to convince Gaspari to go to the office of their chairman, Ara Zohrabyan, and discuss the issue with him; Gasparo, however, declined the offer, after which Zohrabyan himself came down to meet with the demonstrator and insisted that the Chamber “had to carry out the court order” and assign Khandoyan a public defender. Nevertheless, Zohrabyan added, the newly-assigned lawyer would still not be able to represent Khandoyan without his consent. “If the defendant says no, then the public defender will not take part in the trial. Khandoyan has stated that he does not want to be defended by Lianna Gasparyan, and she has already given up the case,” the chairman said.
Zohrabyan then asked Gaspari whether the demonstrator was in fact “carrying out an order,” to which Gaspari replied; “Yes, I’m carrying out an order by my own conscience! Moreover, I will come tonight and lay on the ground outside your house so that your family members see how you actually earn money and only pretend to be a public defender.”
Epress.am’s reporter, in turn, asked Zohrabyan why a court-assigned public defender stays in the courtroom after the defender has already refused his or her services. “In this case, the public defender does not participate as a lawyer; he or she only stays there as a possible candidate to represent the defendant,” he replied.
Gaspari himself was quick to dub Zohrabyan’s comment “total nonsense,” saying that “there are no lyrical deviations in the criminal procedure code- it clearly states who can participate in a trial and it certainty does not feature the expression ‘candidate for defense.’”