The Safety of Life-sentenced Hazroyan and his advocate is not ensured in Shushi
00:00, August 4, 2011 | Press Release | Right to be free from torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, Right to Fair Trial, Right to Life, Rights of Soldiers/Recruits | Armed Forces
Yesterday on August 3, 2011, Hazroyan, who is charged with murdering four term soldiers at Nagorno Karabakh Jaynabil military unit on November 19, 2010 near the primary border-line, was sentenced to life imprisonment by Syunik Region Court of General Jurisdiction Judge Hamlet Davtyan.
Pursuant to the information of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor, after the promulgation of the verdict, Manvel Hazroyan took the mineral water bottle on his table and threw it at the Judge. After the incident, “Shushi” Penitentiary officials, who were escorting M. Hazroyan, neutralized him right in the court room by forcefully putting on handcuffs.
During this time, eyewitnesses had already been taken out, and when advocate Edmon Marukyan intervened by saying his defendant was already neutralized, the verdict was promulgated, and that he would be punished for the act in relation to the Judge, the tree out of the violation executors started pushing the advocate aside. By Edmon Marukyan’s words, only after the numerous claims of the representative of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor and the Judge, the officials from “Shushi” Penitentiary gave up their violent acts. Although in the end one of them “threw a remark” by claiming they were acting adequately, because the latter was protecting the defendant’s rights.
Of course, Edmon Marukyan will demand that the law-enforcers file a criminal case against the Penitentiary officials over exerting violations upon his client and obstructing the implementation of his authorizations as well as conduct an objective, versatile and complete investigation. However, the major problem is that the law-enforcers of which country should deal with the case, when the verdict was promulgated by RA Syunik Region Court of General Jurisdiction, but the court is located in Stepanakert-the capital of Nagorno Karabakh? In the interview given to 1in.am, Edmon Marukyan highlighted the fact that in the initial stage of the preliminary investigation they had submitted a motion to move RA citizen Manvel Hazroyan from Shushi Police Department, and later from the Penitentiary to Armenia in order to ensure his safety. However, the submitted motion was declined. And the advocate’s concerns are now justified: if violations are exerted upon him and his client M. Hazroyan in the court room in the presence of Hazroyan’s relatives and journalists by creating an atmosphere of fear and putting the guarantees of his and Hazroyan’s immunity and security at risk, without the provision of which, it is impossible to ensure effective defense and justice, then, what are the guarantees that no such incidents will take place on August 8, during the trial over another military case? Edmon Marukyan is protecting the interests of victim serviceman Kotsinyan within the frames of this case.