The Appellate Court of Armenia brought a standing judgment concerning a sentence to four oppositionists

The Appellate Criminal Court of Armenia brought a standing judgment concerning a verdict of a primary jurisdiction court sentencing four young oppositional activists to custody for hooliganism.

On August, 9, 2011, an incident occurred in Yerevan between seven activists of Armenian National Congress (ANC) and the policemen after which the activists were detained. On July, 20, the primary jurisdiction court of Yerevan communities of Center-Nork-Marash sentenced the activists of ANC to different terms of custody: Tigran Arakelyan to six years, Artak Karapetyan to three years, David Kiramijyan and Sarkis Gevorkyan to two years.

At the first session of the Appellate Court lawyer Stephen Voskanyan entered an argument for his appeal against the judgment of the primary jurisdiction court of Yerevan communities of Center-Nork-Marash. In particular, the defense considers that the charge was completely based on the evidence of the policemen who were acknowledged sufferers on the same case.

Today a verdict on the lawyers’ claim was brought at the session of the Appellate Court. Judge Armen Danielyan brought a standing judgment on the verdict of the primary jurisdiction court according to which four activists of Armenian National Congress were sentenced to different terms of custody for accusation of hooliganism.

None of the defendants was present during pronouncement of the verdict. Concurrently with the trial an action of protest was held near the building of the court the participants of which chanted: “Shame!”, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reports.