Mikael Danielyan: Pashinyan's case has no crime elements

The trial on the activist of the opposition and editor-in-chief of the newspaper "Armenian Time" Nikol Pashinyan was held with gross infringements. In particular, the equality of arms was not observed; no elements of the crime were presented. The "Caucasian Knot" correspondent was told about by Mikael Danielyan, a well-known human rights activist and head of the organization named "Helsinki Association".

He said that activists of his organization conducted a monitoring of the Nikol Pashinyan's judicial process, and concluded that serious violations were obvious. In particular, the equality of arms was not observed; the prosecution's arguments were not supported by proofs; and there were no crime elements revealed.

Let us note here that the members of the South-Caucasian network of human rights activists, where the "Helsinki Association" is the coordinator in Armenia, disseminated a statement on the verdict passed in relation to Nikol Pashinyan.

"The court neglected the provisions of the PACE Resolution, running that those who made no violence and never induced others to violence cannot be punished. We remind the Armenian authorities about the PACE's appeal not to arrest those who were in search or hid in underground, but voluntarily surrendered to law enforcement bodies. We, members of the South-Caucasian network of human rights activists, believe that Pashinyan was convicted, like other supporters of the opposition, only for his political convictions. The members of the network find the continuing suppression by the authorities of Armenia of their political opponents to be inadmissible," runs the statement.

As to the arrest and verdict passed to Pashinyan, Karine Khodikyan, a well-known playwright and former deputy minister of culture of Armenia, has noted: "Only hopeless idiots could hope for Nikol Pashinyan's victory at election, or for his release from custody. We live in the country under unwritten laws, and we have put aside our valid legislation. But we must be at war on injustice."

Rosa D., a pensioner, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent: "To tell the truth, I didn't expect that Nikol will get seven years. It's too cruel. It's no news for us that March 1 crimes were committed by one group of people, but other people, for some reason, have been made liable. But that an innocent person, father of three small children, gets seven years in prison - it's too much."

Armen A., an owner of a small shop, said: "Complete lawlessness is reigning here; you just say something - and they immediately initiate a criminal case. If they do it with a well-known journalist, what could be said about us - ordinary people?"

Another respondent to the poll, held by the "Caucasian Knot", Ani K., a student of the Abovyan Armenian Pedagogical University, said that she is little interested in politics, and only by hearsay knows about Nikol Pashinyan's case.