In response to our question whether it was a violation of the law that the ANC activists had been deprived of their last pleas and the counselors of the possibility to make their defense speeches in the Court of Criminal Appeals yesterday, Karen Andreasyan, the Human Rights Defender of Armenia, said, “Yes, it is a violation of the Criminal Procedure Code and Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights.”
However, he also stressed that in accordance with the law, the Human Rights Defender couldn’t make comments on the ANC activists’ case, until the verdict on the case entered into force, “I don’t know what happened in the court yesterday, but anything could have happened in our current legal system and in our current court.
“At the same time, the law provides for my keeping silent, if the case is under the court’s consideration. Admittedly, the verdict was made public today, but it hasn’t entered into force and until the verdict on that case has entered into force, I don’t have the right to make any comments – the law strictly forbids me.
Read also
“However, I can generally say that not listening to a motion without a reason or not offering an opportunity to exercise procedural rights or to express viewpoints – these are serious violations of the law. And I can theoretically answer that yes, it is a serious violation; it can have an impact on the outcome of the case and be dangerous not only for exercising justice, but also for perception.
“I repeat once again I cannot make any comment on this particular case.” Let us remind that eight motions made by the ANC activists’ counselor yesterday were denied.
Listen to the full interview with Karen Andreasyan on the recording.
Arphine Simonyan
