The trial regarding the appeal against the decision of Narek Osyan, a chief investigator of cases of particular importance at the investigation department, region of Lori, to refuse launching an investigation into the attack on the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office human rights organization by protesters from Vanadzor on April 16 continues in the trial court of Lori region presided by Marine Melkonyan.
On April 16, residents of Vanadzor attacked Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office in protest against showing Azerbaijani movies. As a result, the property of the office was damaged and one of the workers was injured.
Counselor Karen Tumanyan, the representative of the organization, provided the court with information that international organizations had also expressed their negative attitude toward the incident and the government.
Karen Tumanyan expressed an idea that residents of Vanadzor were basically not against the movies, rather it was an excuse to make an organized attack on the workers of the organization and to destroy the organization’s property.
“The Golden Apricot festival was organized in the Republic of Armenia and Turkish movies were shown, moreover, the movie directed by a Turk got an award in the Republic of Armenia. If the government in general and a specific part of the society who were sponsored by the government were against showing the movies of the enemy, the same people should have responded in the same manner to the movies shown during a festival organized by the government. Therefore, this means that they were basically not against the movies, this was just an organized attack on the workers of the organization and the organization’s property using this as an excuse.”
And although Narek Osyan, a chief investigator of the investigation department, region of Vanadzor, was not against taking this evidence into consideration, but, opposing the counselor’s position, he stated that the latter’s evidence presented to the court had nothing to do with the incident.
“It is just an assumption that they were for showing it. That evidence has nothing to do with the incident.”
The next court session is due on September 28, at 2 p.m.
Anush BULGHADARYAN
