Defence of participants of "Million Mask March" decides to challenge the verdict

The advocates of Shant Arutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party, and of other defendants in the "Million Mask March" case, have announced their intention to appeal against the conviction. On October 27, they received the full text of the verdict in their arms, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on October 17 the first instance court of general jurisdiction of the administrative districts Kentron-Nork-Marash sentenced Shant Arutyunyan, the head of the "Tsegakron" Party and the organizer of the "Million Mask March", to six years in prison. The remaining defendants in the case received punishments ranging from a fine up to seven years in prison. In total, the prisoner's dock contained 14 activists.

On November 5, 2013, Yerevan hosted the "Million Mask March". After the protesters entered into a confrontation with the police, Shant Arutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party, and 19 other protesters were detained. Of them, 14 persons were then charged with resisting law enforcers with use of violence. On March 31, the charge was changed to the article on disorderly conduct.

Now, the defence will study the text of the verdict passed by the court of first instance, and then within a month will appeal against it to the Court of Appeal (CoA), the advocate Inessa Petrosyan, who is defending three activists – Shant Arutyunyan, his son Shagen and Vardan Vardanyan, told reporters.

She added that should the CoA dismiss the appeal complaint, the defence will appeal to the Court of Cassation, and then – the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

"None of the defendants had committed any disorderly behaviour during the action; and the presented charges are shameful, and only cause laughter. The activists were tried for political reasons; and the decision on them was made from above, as evidenced by the assessment of their actions by President Serzh Sargsyan in his speech at the Columbia University, well prior to passing the judgment," said Petrosyan.

She has no hopes for the true justice at the CoA. "If all of a sudden something changes, it will be a political decision of the authorities," said the lawyer.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.