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On February 14, 2017, the RA Administrative Court, presided by judge K. Zarikyan, resumed examination of the RA Police claim against ‘Armenian Women’s Front’ member Susanna Simonyan, by which it was required to impose on her administrative sanctions under Article 172.3 of the RA Code on Administrative Offences. Note that Susanna Simonyan also submitted a counter claim on declaring the RA Police actions unlawful.

The court hearing was attended by representatives of RA Police, Ruben Yepiskoposyan, Senior Legal Adviser at Kanaker-Zeytun division of RA Police Yerevan Department, defendant and counter-plaintiff S. Simonyan and her representative, Tatevik Siradeghyan, lawyer at Yerevan Office of HCA Vanadzor.

At the stage of evidence examination, the Court resumed examination of the video materials submitted by the parties to trial and those filed to the case and then questioned the witnesses involved in the case.

First, the Court questioned assembly participant Anush Karapetyan, witness involved by defendant and counter-plaintiff’s motion; in her testimonies, she mentioned that she was arrested too and taken to the police station with S. Simonyan in the same vehicle and after S. Simonyan was laying in front of the police vehicle, she was taken to the vehicle some 30 minutes later. The arrest was accompanied with physical force; in the vehicle, the police officers said insulting words and one of them even tried to hit S. Simonyan as she was getting out of the vehicle.

At the hearing, the court also questioned the 3 RA Police officers. In response to the questions of the Police representative, Artashes Kostanyan, RA Police Guard and Patrol Service Regiment Special Battalion police officer, mentioned that he subjected S. Simonyan to administrative arrest for not obeying his legal requirement and as she was getting into the police vehicle, she said swear words and spat in his face. According to the police officer’s testimony, in the vehicle the police officers said no swear words; they behaved politely and correctly.

In response to the defendant’s questions, the witness said that the shift senior came up to S. Simonyan and urged her to behave correctly but he did not see how he made the order as he was far away from there. He remembered that after he came, S. Simonyan was standing in the middle of the street; they asked her to leave the traffic lane and then subjected her to administrative arrest. The court also asked witness some questions.

Artur Poghosyan, RA Police Guard and Patrol Service Regiment 6th Company police officer, gave similar testimony, and then in response to the questions of the parties, he mentioned that at the assembly of June 22, 2016 it was him who took S. Simonyan to the police vehicle and he had a Guard and Patrol Service uniform on. The administrative detention was based on administrative offense. Before, S. Simonyan was standing quiet. According to the witness, neither the police, nor S. Simonyan said any swear words.

Armen Baloyan, RA Police Guard and Patrol Service Regiment 1st Company police officer, who sat in the vehicle transporting S. Simonyan, said that it was only her who uttered swear words and they informed her of video-taping. In response to the Court’s questions, he said that on her way to the police vehicle, S. Simonyan resisted, expressed her discontent and at that moment it seemed as if she spat at the police officer accidentally.

In response to the Court’s question on submitting additional motions, S. Simonyan’s representative insisted on the motion submitted at the previous court hearing on questioning another 3 assembly participants. The Police representative objected to it, but the Court found it necessary to involve the said persons as well as witness.

The court hearing was postponed till March 14, 2017, 3:40 pm.