“It is the country where we live, it is the country where I do as much as I can. The decision was not unexpected for me, at the end of the day, this is not the beginning, and this is not the end. It is what it is… the more active the civil movement is, the more surmountable such things will be,” Vardges Gaspari, an activist of the Armenian National Congress, said during a conversation with www.aravot.am about the decision made against him.
The trial court of the Kentron and Nork Marash administrative districts, Yerevan, presided by Mkhitar Papoyan found Armenian National Congress activist Vardges Gaspari guilty of hooliganism in accordance with Article 258, Section 1 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia. The court imposed a fine amounting to 50 times the minimum wage, but choosing a milder punishment provided for by the law, it imposed the final punishment of fine amounting to 30 times the minimum wage, i.e. 30 thousand AMD.
According to the indictment, Vardges Gaspari deliberately disrupted the public order on October 20, 2011, at around 12 p.m., outside Government Building 1, which manifested itself in showing explicitly disrespectful attitude toward the public. According to the indictment, he made a noise and cursed for 15 minutes, bothering the passersby and attendees by these deliberate actions of his. www.aravot.am inquired during a conversation with Robert Revazyan, the counselor of V. Gaspari, whether they would appeal the decision and whether a fair decision had been made from the legal perspective. Mr. Revazyan replied, “We think that there were no grounds to indict or bring charges against that person, in the first place. Thus, the issue here is also the right to freedom of speech and assembly. V. Gaspari’s deed doesn’t have a shred of hooliganism. Certainly, we don’t agree with the verdict.”
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We asked to clarify whether there were political overtones in what had happened to V. Gaspari. R. Revazyan replied, “I don’t want to make political statements, but I don’t rule it out.”
Mr. Revazyan also informed that they would appeal the verdict to the Court of Appeals.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
