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Pashinyan Trial Continues: Witnesses Have Nothing Conclusive to Offer
At his trial session today, "Haykakan Zhamanak" editor Nikol Pashinyan, facing charges related to the mass public demonstrations after the 2008 presidential elections declared that he wanted his day in court; otherwise he wouldn’t have voluntarily come out of hiding."This trial is taking place because I wanted it to happen," said the jailed opposition activist, "I am the godfather for this trial."
Today’s trial saw the interrogation of three supposes eye-witnesses to the events in question. Relating to those charges from October 23, 2007, alleging that Mr. Pashinyan struck a law enforcement officer during an opposition rally, one Armineh Harutyunyan, a sales clerk at a store on Koryun Street, testified that she heard a clamour outside and went to the window to see what was happening. She failed to identify either Nikol Pashinyan or the policeman alleged to have been struck by the editor.
Mr. Pashinyan’s lawyer, Lusineh Sahakyan, noted in the courtroom that the witness had been questioned the day after the alleged incident but that in her written affidavit there was no address, telephone number or other passport information of Ms. Harutyunyan. Attorney Sahakyan expressed amazement as to this faulty documentation. "How can the Prosecutor have interrogated the witness in a criminal case without recording such vital information?"
Another witness interrogated today was taxi dispatcher Janna Mikayelyan who stated that she saw 30-40 people in the area. She also failed to identify the injured cop and didn’t know what Nikol Pashinyan looked like in person, having only read about him in the papers. "For a moment there, it looked like he was in the crowd as well," she testified.
When Mr. Pashinyan started to cross examine her she began to flounder with the answers. "My dear Nikol," she replied, "Two years have passed. How can I remember such details?"
The third witness to take the stand was Satenik Mnatsakanyan, who was working in a "lahmajun" joint. She also failed to point out Mr. Pashinyan and the injured cop. "They said something about it being the trial of Pashinyan. That was what was described in the announcement. But I do not know Pashinyan," she confessed.
Ms. Mnatsakanyan said she saw an argument break out but that the "red berets" (Special Forces) soon arrived on the scene and dispersed the crowd.
None of the three witnesses claimed to have seen Mr. Pashinyan strike any police officer.
No other witnesses showed up for today’s trial. Immediately at the conclusion, defense attorney Sahakyan filed a motion that her client be released from pre-trial custody, srguing that the detention deadline had expired as of November 1, and that the court had not set a new dealine.
Prosecutor Harutyun Harutyunyan disputed the motion and argued that there weren’t sufficient grounds to release Mr. Pashinyan. Prosecutor Harutyunyan said the defendant’s crimes would come out during the trial.
All the while, Mr. Pashinyan rhetorically asked the court if it had the jurisdiction to release him from custody or if that decision was the prerogative of 26 Baghramyan Street, where the presidential palace is located.
The presiding judge recessed to chambers to study the motion.
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