Epress.am News from Armenia
As previously reported, a judge in a Yerevan district court, citing an altercation in court yesterday, decided on Tuesday to no longer hold in Yerevan the hearings in the case of rifle platoon commander Artak Nazaryan, who died suddenly while serving in Tavush marz (province) during peacetime on Jul. 27, 2010.
The decision to move the trial to Ijevan, the capital of Tavush province, angered relatives of the accused, as well as relatives of the victim, who decided to go protest outside the presidential residence today.
Javahir Hovhannisyan, the mother of one of the accused, Adibek Hovhannisyan, outside the presidential residence, began to cross the street and called out to others to follow her example, She threatened to throw herself under a car, all the while stopping cars, while police officers were unable to get her to calm down. Also crossing the street with Javahir were the relatives of the accused and the victim, some of whom began to rattle the gates outside the president’s residence.
Also protesting on the same site were disgruntled homeowners promised new apartments who urged Adibek Hovhannisyan’s mother to join them in a hunger strike.
“I’ll start a hunger strike; I’ll also throw myself under a car,” she said, raising her voice and demanding that Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan come out.
Meanwhile, Javahir described how at the time of Artak Nazaryan’s death, her son had been serving in the military for 10 days and couldn’t have killed him — “it was the officer who did it,” she said.
“Mr. Serzh, come out. I voted for him; let him respond. Order him to come out!” she shouted, adding that she regrets voting for him.
Soon after, Javahir lost consciousness and an ambulance was called. Paramedics arrived on the scene to assist her.
Afterwards, protestors were invited to come into the presidential residence but advised to also go to the Council of Justice where their concerns will be addressed.
Recall, the official cause of Artak’s death is suicide; however, an autopsy and physical examination of the body conducted later revealed traces of violence on his face and body, which has led representatives of the victim to believe he was murdered. They also point out that the main witness in the case, Arman Mnatsakanyan, is escorted to the hearings by police, which they say indicates he is being manipulated by the authorities.
On the decision to move the hearings from Yerevan to Ijevan, human rights activist and representative of the victim’s party Ruben Martirosyan, in conversation with Epress.am, said: “The victim’s party is from Yerevan, the prosecutors and attorneys are from Yerevan, and the accused are held in Yerevan — and that’s why we’re against this decision.”