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On July 23, 2014, the first instance court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan, RA, presided by the judge, M. Martirosyan, continued the proceedings on the case of Shant Harutyunyan and others detained on November 5, 2013. At the hearing, the court questioned another 3 police officers considered as the aggrieved party.

Khachatur Avetisyan, the aggrieved party, stated at the hearing that on November 5, 2013, Shant Harutyunyan and other participants of the march directly invaded the traffic sector of the Mashtots Avenue from the service entrance of the RA Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre, while Shant Harutyunyan had been previously warned that the protesters should move along the sidewalk. In response to the question of the advocate Karen Kalantaryan, the aggrieved party could not answer who exactly had warned Shant Harutyunyan by noting that it might be the police officers standing next to Shant Harutyunyan. The aggrieved party also stated that while he had seen Gegham Khachatryan, commander of the 4^th battalion of the RA Police patrol service, approach Shant Harutyunyan and try to prevent the offense, but he failed to hear what G. Khachatryan demanded as he was standing near the service entrance to the RA National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet.

In response to the question of the advocate Ara Zakaryan, Kh. Avetisyan stated that police officers had not given any instruction to the participants of the march by loudspeaker; instead, he instructed his subordinate police officers to take the protesters away from the traffic lane.

At the court hearing, the aggrieved party also stated that the police had not stopped the traffic since they had received no such claim from the participants of the march. In response to Shant Harutyunyan’s question whether his statement by a loudspeaker in the Freedom Square about the provokers among the demonstrators was not considered as an application to the police, Kh. Avetisyan answered that he had been standing at the service entrance to the RA National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet.

The aggrieved party Kh. Avetisyan noted that he had been hurt by the smoke of the explosives, and particularly, his eyes had crinkled, but he had no need to go to hospital or receive medical treatment.

At the hearing, the Court also questioned Evrik Lonski, another aggrieved party of the case who was on service in the area of the RA Opera and Ballet National Academic Theatre on November 5, 2013. While he also stated that he had not heard the conversation between G. Khachatryan and Shant Harutyunyan, he had seen G. Khachatryan approach and make a sign by his hand to leave the traffic lane of the street. In response to Ara Zakaryan’s question, the aggrieved party replied that he had seen G. Khachatryan holding Shant Harutyunyan’s arm, but he had not noticed G. Khachatryan squeezing it. In response to the advocate’s question, Lonski also stated in the court that he had visited G. Khachatryan in hospital the following day but did not discuss the incident with him as he had stayed at the ward for only 5 minutes. The aggrieved party also stated that he had not incurred any injuries; he only coughed, and his eyes hurt from the smoke.

At the hearing of July 23, 2014, the court also questioned Arsen Sargsyan, another aggrieved party, who had received no injuries, but only felt physical pain from the smoke of the explosives; particularly, he complained that his eyes had crinkled. A. Sargsyan said that at about 12:00 pm the following day he and a few other police officers visited G. Khachatryan at hospital and discussed the incident. The 3 victims questioned at the court hearing stated that while passing by the service entrance of the RA National Academic Theater of Opera and Ballet, they heard Shant Harutyunyan telling the participants of the march that they should move towards the RA presidential palace, but they could not specify that part of the video recording.

Besides, the questioning showed that 3 victims had seen a group of citizens hitting a person in plain clothes shouting that he was a police officer. However, the questioned victims did not provide the court with any other information about the person in question.

After the questioning of the victims, the defendants of the case, Shant Harutyunyan, Vardan Vardanyan, Avet Avetisyan, Sevak Mnatsakanyan, Alek Poghosyan, Hayk Harutyunyan and Vahe Mkrtchyan made some statements on the reasons underlying their “revolution” and various problems in the country, and Hayk Harutyunyan called on the people to wake up the Younger Mher and fight to change the current situation in the country.

The next hearing on the case was scheduled for July 30, 2014, at 12 pm.