19:06, 5 August 2015

Defence declares unproved guilt of Armenian activist Akopyan

Ara Zograbyan, an advocate, has petitioned about acquittal of Narek Akopyan, a protester against the increase of electricity tariff, who is accused of using violence against an authority.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on June 23, 2014, in Yerevan, during a protest action against the increase of electricity tariff, a clash broke between policemen and activists. The police detained several dozens of protesters. One of the detainees, Narek Akopyan, was charged with the use of violence against an authority. On July 22, 2015, at the court session, during the oral hearing, the prosecutor demanded to sentence Akopyan to six months in prison.

During the court session on August 5, the defence presented a scheme that simulated the details of the incident. "The defendant could not hit with his right foot on the left side below the waist of the policeman, while standing to the right of him," Ara Zograbyan said in his speech, pointing to inconsistencies in testimonies of prosecution witnesses.

In his final statement, Akopyan refused to plead guilty, and promised to continue his activism irrespective of the court judgement.

The verdict will be read out on August 6.

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

Author: Tigran Petrosyan

Source: CK correspondent