Counter-claim submitted on protester Armen Mikayelyan’s case
21:32, December 1, 2016 | News, Own news
On November 30, 2016, the RA Administrative Court, presided by judge M. Melkumyan, held a court hearing on RA Police v. Armen Mikayelyan. By its claim, the RA Police demanded to bring A. Mikayelyan to administrative responsibility under Article 180.1 (11 and 15) of the RA Code of Administrative Offences.
The pre-trial court hearing was attended by Sona Melikyan, representative of plaintiff RA Police and Senior Legal Adviser to Kentron Division of RA Police Yerevan city Department, defendant A. Mikayelyan and his representative Tatevik Siradeghyan, lawyer at Yerevan Office of HCA Vanadzor.
Before the trial examination started, T. Siradeghyan submitted a counter-claim to the RA Administrative Court on declaring the RA Police actions unlawful, noting that in this case the defendant party should have the opportunity to avail itself of its right to file a counter-claim as the RA Constitutional Court declared that the provision under Article 87 of the RA Code of Administrative Proceedings on submitting a counter-claim before assigning trial examination of the case contradicted Articles 61 and 63 of the RA Constitution.
At the same time, A. Mikayelyan’s representative also submitted to the Court a written objection to the claim.
Given that the issue of admitting a counter-claim should be settled by a separate judicial act, the Court ruled to postpone the court hearing. The parties to the trial will be further notified of the next court hearing of this case.
Note that on March 24, 2016, A. Mikayelyan took part in the assembly held before the examination of the motion on extending Gevorg Safaryan’s detention. During the assembly, some of its participants blocked the street by lying on the traffic sector of Mashtots Avenue and chaining themselves to the asphalt. Then they were apprehended by force and taken to Kentron Division of the RA Police Yerevan City Department, where administrative proceedings were initiated against them based on their failure to fulfill their duties of assembly participants and obey the legal orders of the police to ensure the peaceful and normal course of the assembly.