The trial on the case of the policemen who subjected the journalists to violence during “Electric Yerevan” terminated

The trail of the case of the journalists, who were subjected to ill treatment by the policemen during the “Electric Yerevan” protest in 2015, as well as on police officers terminated in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative districts.

The chairing judge Arshak Vardanyan set a penalty in the amount of 500 thousand AMD towards Kostan Budaghyan, Senior Inspector of Yerevan Patrol Police Division and his fellow servicemen Tatjat Noratunkyan and Athur Ayvazyan and did not deprive the latter from the right to hold positions in law enforcement bodies.

The Court applied a penalty in the amount of 600 thousand AMD towards David Perikhanyan, the head of the rocket and artillery arms service of N division, lieutenant colonel, and for breaking the video camera of “Utopian.am” NGO a compensation in the amount 485 thousand AMD was set.

David Gyurjyan, representative of “Utopiana.am” NGO journalist Ashot Boyajan asked the court to make a fair judgment saying that the actions in which the latter are being accused of have not been committed by the Perikhanyan and those acts were not justified by court.

“We think that the court has not justified the accusation in which he is being accused of. The same crime was committed during the exercise of defensive powers”- mentioned David Gyurjayn.

According to the accusative conclusion, T. Noratunkyan, A. Ayvazyan, K. Budaghyan were accused of

• In accordance to Paragraph 2 of Article 164 of the RA Criminal Code hindrance to the legal professional activities of a journalist by an official abusing one’s official position, is punished with correctional labor for up to 2 years, or imprisonment for the term of up to 3 years, by deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or practice certain activities for up to 3 years, or without that.

1. D. Perikhanyan was accused by the characters of paragraph 1 of Article 164 of the RA Criminal Code, according to which hindrance to the legal professional activities of a journalist, or forcing the journalist to disseminate information or not to disseminate information, is punished with a fine in the amount of 50-150 minimal salaries, or correctional labor for up to 1 year.

Paragraph 1 of Article 185, according to which willful destruction or spoilage of somebody’s property, which caused significant damage, is punished with a fine in the amount of 50 to 100 minimal salaries, or correctional labor for up to 1 year, or with arrest for the term of up to 2 months, or with imprisonment for the term of up to 2 years.

David Gyurjyan mentioned that during the committing the crime D. Perikhanyan had shield and “Police” inscription tape, that is to say he was in the middle of implementation of his duties. According to the preliminary witness of the defendant, he did not participate in the activities, he watched the process; “After five minutes I noticed transparent police shield in one of the protestors hands and realized that he had taken it from other policemen, he gave me the shield and left. Since I did not know who shield it was I kept it”, – wrote Perikhanyan.

Ashot Boyajyan, one of victims, in regard to D. Perikhanynan’s wearing of police shield said that during the trail it was never revealed who were the friends of Perikhanyan in support of who he went to Baghramyan Avenue.

“At the court we were not able to find out who were the mentioned friends of Perikhanyan in support of who Perikhanyan went to Baghramyan Avenue” – added Gyurjyan.

The advocate also mentioned that the court refused their intervention for conducting double examination and mentioned that that damage to “utopiana.am” NGO is much bigger than the amount of 485 AMD mentioned in the accusative conclusion.

“We disagree with the amount of the mentioned accusation and find that in both cases the presented accusation does not correspond to the real action. We find that the court had nothing to do but justify David Perikhanyan, since he had not committed the deeds in which he is being accused of” – mentioned Gyurjyan.

It should be mentioned that the defendants were accused of hindrance to the legal professional activities of a journalist Ashot Boyajyan, journalist of “ACTV” online broadcasting company under “Utopiana.am” cultural initiative, Arthur Papyan, journalist of “Liberty” radio station, as well as Hayk Badalyan, photojournalist of “Photolur” news agency Hayk Badalyan.

The defendants accepted their guilt and asked the judge for mild punishment. David Perikhanyan apologized to the present journalists on behalf of him and his friends.

Source hetq.am