During the January 13 preliminary hearing at the Vanadzor Court, in which Lernapat Mayor Vano Yeghiazaryan is suing Hetq reporter Adrineh Torosyan for slander, the plaintiff changed his financial compensatory demand from 1 million AMD to a mere 1 AMD.

Mayor Yeghiazaryan is suing over an August 2011 Hetq article (“The word ‘to graze’ directed at the mayor cost 1 million”) by Adrineh Torosyan, covering a judicial dispute between the mayor and local resident Gevorg Melkonyan.

In his original lawsuit Mayor Yeghiazaryan had demanded that Hetq issue a public retraction of the “insulting and defamatory” information, publish an apology and 1 million AMD in compensation, including legal fees.

The dispute resulted from an article in the newspaper Zhamanak entitled “Remove This Turk from Our Midst” in which a number of Lernapat residents, including Gevorg Melkonyan, expressed their displeasure regarding the mayor’s work performance. Residents also called the mayor a few choice names.

Due to the plaintiff’s motion, the trial has been postponed until February 14.

Photo: Adrineh Torosyan's attorneys Tigran Yegoryan and Lousineh Hakobyan