Relatives of perished Armenian soldiers demand a public trial

An action held by parents of the perished soldiers near the building of the Supreme Judicial Council of Armenia was caused by a court’s decision to consider behind closed doors a complaint about the refusal to institute a criminal case on high treason and involve Nikol Pashinyan as a defendant.

The “Caucasian Knot” has reported that starting from April 25, the Armenian opposition has been holding protest actions. Today, protesters gathered near the building of the Supreme Judicial Council in Yerevan and demanded to institute a criminal case against Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Parents of soldiers who perished during the war in the autumn of 2020 gathered in front of the building of the Supreme Judicial Council, demanding an open hearing on the complaint about the refusal to bring Nikol Pashinyan on trial in a criminal case on high treason. The opposition marched to the building of the Supreme Judicial Council to support the parents of the perished soldiers, the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent reported from the spot.

“Earlier, the court of appeal pronounced a decision to consider our complaint behind closed doors,” the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent was told by Karin Tonoyan, a mother of deceased soldier Menua Ovannisyan. According to her, the parents demand to allow them to participate in the hearings of the court, which considers the complaint about the refusal to institute a criminal case on high treason and involve Nikol Pashinyan as a defendant.

Artsvik Minasyan, an MP from the “Hayastan” faction, believes that the decision to hold the trial behind closed doors is an attempt to lead the matter to a dead end. “The court made the decision at the direction of the authorities, who want the public not to be aware of the details of the trial,” Artsvik Minasyan told the “Caucasian Knot” correspondent.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on May 26, 2022 at 05:21 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.