Yesterday, On August 3, during preliminary hearings that lasted until late evening, the General Jurisdiction Court of Yerevan, presided over by Mnatsakan Martirosyan, made a decision to arrest Avetik Chalabyan for another 3 months. The restraining order against Avetik Chalabyan, a member of the “Unification” movement, public-politician, was applied right in the courtroom. Let’s remind that Avetik Chalabyan was detained on May 14 in a fabricated criminal case with the absence of a criminal motive, then he was released on July 27 as a result of the expiration of the detention period set by the court.
“This decision is unprecedented in the legal practice of Armenia, perhaps it is a rare case when a person is detained in the conditions of a complete lack of grounds and a gross violation of the requirements of the law. This absurd action shows how much the current regime is afraid of its principled opponents, and what flagrant illegalities it is willing to commit in order to extend its own power. However, no illegality will distract us from our goal of building a free and powerful country and just society for all of us. Our struggle continues and will only gain new momentum until then I thank our many honorable brothers and sisters who were by our side these days, and with their presence and principled stance, gave us strength and determination to continue our struggle” – Avetik Chalabyan made the last statement on the official page before the arrest.
During the trial, the public prosecutor requested that bail be applied to Chalabyan as a preventive measure, which, according to him, was fully capable of ensuring Chalabyan’s proper behavior and that there was no need for detention in this case, and Chalabyan’s defense attorneys first proposed not to apply any preventive measures at all, because that there are no criminal procedural grounds for its application, and in any case, in the case of applying for a restraining order, they suggested to consider the possibility of joint application of several restraining measures, such as bail and guarantee, according to the RA Criminal Procedure Code. More than a dozen respected figures presented letters of recommendation for Chalabyan, including former Deputy Prime Minister Vache Gabrielyan, former Minister of Finance Vardan Aramyan, founder of “Hay Aspet” School Karin Tonoyan, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of “Ayb” Educational Foundation Aram Pakhchanyan, “Ayb” Educational Foundation Director Sona Koshetsyan, Director of “Arar” Foundation Armen Khachikyan, Director of “Return to Armenia” Foundation Vardan Marashlyan, Candidate of Philological Sciences, Professor Gurgen Melikyan, Former Minister of Justice Gevorg Danielyan, Head of YSU Civil Procedure Chair Vahe Hovhannisyan and others who were present at the court session.
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It is noteworthy that Chalabyan’s defenders generally petitioned to dismiss the case, based on the fact that the material that is the basis of the case was published on a platform classified as fake media, which is related to Nikol Pashinyan’s deputy chief of staff, Taron Chakhoyan. The said judgment is made on the basis of an investigative article on a publicly verified platform.
“The pre-investigation body showed criminal inaction and did not take any significant action to find that recording, even sent a summons to the website directly, the website director did not appear for questioning, and the pre-investigation body closed the proceedings. It’s interesting, if you’re sending a subpoena, you assume that information is important, right? If that information is important, why aren’t you taking steps to get that information? I will say this for a very simple reason. The honorable public prosecutor stated that this case has no political context because it would become clear where you made that fabrication, it would become clear for what purpose. Let me say more, it would have gone until it reached the client, and we know where the client is. The client is sitting in the prime minister’s chair and he is creating fabrications against his political opponents through various such websites under his control,” Avetik Chalabyan said in court, who recorded a deterioration in his health after being in prison for two and a half months, received a diagnosis of hypertension of the 3rd degree and was assigned to outpatient treatment under the supervision of a cardiologist.
“I am not afraid of arrest. I wonder about something else. Why are you detaining me for another 3 months? Give me a life sentence, put lead in my mouth so I die. You will report to your senior that, your task is done,” Avetik Chalabyan said in his speech, then added, “You place yourself above the law, but the law does not allow it. Sooner or later the law will be restored in this country, my fight is also for the law to be restored in this country, so that these arrests take place according to the law, according to the letter and spirit of the law. You remember, the law will be restored, and from today wait for that day. The law will come after you.”
