Lawyer Levon Baghdasaryan spoke to reporters during a press conference about Manvel Grigoryan’s case. “They say that Manvel Grigoryan needs to be taken to jail, I want to confirm that Manvel Grigoryan has been accused and he is not being punished. If the crime he has been accused of is proven, then may he be punished in full accordance with the law. To constantly say that Manvel Grigoryan needs to be in jail is not right, nor is it lawful.”
When asked what the legal basis was for Manvel Grigoryan’s detainment to be changed and for him to be released, Levon Baghdasaryan said that bail is another deterrence method. “An individual is detained when they will avoid or get in the way of an investigation, or if they will commit a new crime. The European Court of Human Rights stated in their preliminary decision that if a person is likely to avoid investigation or commit a new crime, they should not be detained. Therefore, he was given a set bail, and his illnesses were also taken into consideration.”
Levon Baghdasaryan said that when Grigoryan was detained and the length of his detainment was increased, the defendant lawyers suggested that Manvel Grigoryan appeal to the ECHR. Grigoryan refused to do so, saying, “I won’t file a lawsuit against Armenia.”
Baghdasaryan continued, “People, the problem here is not Manvel Grigoryan as an individual. It is the violation of the law.”
Hripsime Jebejyan
