Today the trial of the "March 1st Seven" defendants began in Shengavit Jurisdictional Court. The seven individuals, charged with "organizing public disturbances coupled with deaths and seizure of state power through the use of violence", include former Foreign Minister Aleksander Arzumanian; Deputies Myasnik Malkhasyan, Hakob Hakobyan and Sasun Mikayelyan and Armenian National Movement (HHZh) members Grigor Voskerchyan, Suren Sirunyan and Shant Harutyunyan. The "Hetq" correspondent on the scene reports that the court was heavily guarded by police and special forces personnel and that a crowd of several hundred supporters of the "Seven" were outside the building chanting "Freedom to Political Prisoners" and "Free, Independent Armenia". Inside the public court session were Stepan Demirjyan, President of the People's Party of Armenia, Aram Sargsyan, head of the Republic Party and Aram Karapetyan, President of the New Times Party. Also present in the court were Armen Harutyunyan, Armenia's Human Right Defender, and other National Assembly deputies. At the opening of the court session, Presiding Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan called for one minute of silence in memory of those who died on March 1st and this move elicited a noisy outburst within the courtroom. Myasnik Malkhasyan declared that this was an outright provocation by the judge. After a ten minute delay Judge Martirosyan stated that video taping of the session would not be allowed, to which attorney Hovik Arsenyan protested, arguing that all sides had previously agreed that the trial could be taped. Judge Martirosyan conceded the point and the taping began. Later on, Grigor Voskerchyan's lawyer, Stepan Voskanyan, petitioned the the judge recuse himself on the grounds that the judge had hindered him in questioning various witnesses in a timely fashion. In addition, Shant Harutyunyan petitioned the court that his case been separated from the others given that he was being hounded for purely poilitical reasons. Judge Martirosyan then called for a one hour recess to review the petition for recusal and that Shant Harutyunyan's petition would be reviewed at a later date.