Ten individuals indicted for assaulting Custom’s Committee President

The case of the break-in and burglary at the home of Armen Avetisyan, former president of the RoA Customs Committee continues at the Kentron and Nork-Marash District Court. An indictment has been handed down to ten individuals, of which two, Ara Karapetyan and Armen Nikoghosyan, have been named as the ringleaders. »»»»»

The trial looking into the death of journalist Gayaneh Babayan, recently run over in a traffic accident that got underway today at the Kanaker-Zeytoun District Court was interrupted just minutes ago when a boisterous shouting match broke out between the sisters of the dead journalist and Judge Lyova Avetisyan. »»»»»

The trial regarding the attempted murder of State Revenue Committee president Gagik Khachatryan was scheduled to continue today at the Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Court.

However, Judge Gagik Avetisyan was forced to postpone the proceedings due to the absecence of attorney Tigran Atanesyan and the defendants. Eight people were arrested for complicity in the attempted murder, with Gagik Matevosyan, aka Muscles Gagik, being named the ringleader. The gang is said to have placed a radio-controoled explosive at the entrance to Gaik Khachatryan’s house on Teryan Street last May 23.

Today, former Environmental Inspectorate Chief Tigran Grigoryan was sentenced to seven years and his deputy, Arsen Petrosyan, was sentenced to ten years on bribery charges by the Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Court. »»»»»

Just minutes ago, the RoA Court of Appeals sustained the motion presented by the attorney of one of the former students at the Nubarashen #11 School for Special Needs Students and added one year to the two year sentence handed down by a lower court to Levon Avagyan, a former teacher at the school.

The court threw out the other motion of the attorney, requesting that the abuse case be returned to the lower court for a retrial. The plaintiff’s attorney had been asking for a five year sentence against the teacher. »»»»»

Today, the RoA Court of Cassation postponed the trial pitting the Ecodar environmental NGO against the Armenian Copper Programme (ACP) and the Armenian government.

Ecodar had filed a suit with the Cassation Court demanding that it overturn a decision by the Administrative Court that had rejected its original suit that worked by halted on construction of a copper and molybdenum mine in the Teghut forest. »»»»»

Did other considerations cloud his judgment in “Ijevan Mayor v Investigative Journalists” or isn’t he aware of legal precedent?

The Armenian courts have been investigating the suit brought by the Ijevan mayor against the Investigative Journalists NGO for more than two years. The suit demands an official retraction of two articles published in Hetq that the municipality claims contains slander that not only blemishes the honor of the mayor but his dignity and good name as well and harms the legal activities of the municipality. »»»»»

Mikayel Amirkhanyan, Rector of the Yerevan Humanities Institute, has filed a defamation suit in the courts against Hetq reporter Ani Hovhannisyan, arguing that her article “Yes, I am engaged in business” (June 3, 2010) slanders his good name, honor and reputation.

Mr. Amirkhanyan is demanding a retraction by the reporter. He is also asking 200,000 in material damages and 4,000 for a government fine already paid. »»»»»

Tomorrow, the Criminal Appeals Court will hear the case of the former students of the Nubarashen #11 School for Special Needs.

The plaintiffs are protesting the two year sentence handed down by the Erebuni and Nubarashen Administrative Court to Levon Avagyan, a former teacher at the school, found guilty of engaging in licentious behaviour with some of the students. The case has led to a series of investigations and dismissals of school staff. Many agree with the plaintiffs that the sentences handed down are way too lenient considering the nature of the crimes committed.

Ecolur, an environmental NGO in Armenia, has presented a petition in the Court of Cassation, seeking to overturn the ruling of the Administrative Court regarding the groups original suit to halt all work at the Teghut mining site. The Cassation Court has accepted the petition but has yet to set a date for the start of the case.

The lower court had thrown out the original suit by a coalition of environmental groups, claiming that the NGO’s had no legal basis to bring such a suit to the court. Previously, the same Administrative Court had once before rejected a similar suit on the same grounds. The coalition then went to the Court of Cassation to have the lower court accept the suit.

Hetq Probe Hits Brick Wall with Some Judges

Last year, during a press interview on court reform, Arman Mkrtumyan, President of the Court of Cassation, was asked what steps he would take to ensure that judges follow the letter of the law and not engage in outside commercial enterprise.

“We will dismiss all judges that are engaged in such business. »»»»»

Girls Recruited in Russia to Dance in Yerevan Strip Clubs

The Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Court has been hearing the case of Yelena Kalyakinyan and her 27 year-old daughter Vera, residents of the Russian city of Volgograd, for the past year.

The mother and daughter have been charges with trafficking 24 Russian women Yerevan to work in various night clubs against their will as striptease dancers and for appropriating their wages. »»»»»

Hetq has learned that the former principal of the Nubarashen #11 School for Special Needs Children, Meruzhan Yengibaryan, has applied to the courts to get reinstated as a school administrator.

Mr. Yengibaryan, had been dismissed from his post by the Minister of Education and Sciences in May following the scandal involving abuse and sexual assaults on the pupils there broke several months ago in the Armenian media. A date for the start of the court case has not yet been set.

In its July 9 decision, upholding the suit of the Ijevan Municipality and the Ijevan Mayor against the “Investigative Journalists” NGO, presiding Judge Gagik Khandanyan of the Kentron and Nork-Marash District Court ruled that the two articles that originally appeared in Hetq, and which were the basis for the slander suit, contained “baseless information”.

Thus, the court ordered the “Investigative Journalists”, NGO to publish an official retraction. The “Azg” newspaper was also ordered to print a retraction since the articles in question were published in the daily as well. »»»»»