Court Hearing Postponed in Case of Armen Muradyan vs. Arsen Torosyan

The court hearing in the case of Armen Muradyan, Rector of Yerevan State Medical University, against the Minister of Health of Armenia, Arsen Torosyan, was postponed at the Ajapnyak residence of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by Judge Grigor Vardanyan.

Armen Muradyan is demanding a retraction of defamatory statements and compensation for damages from Arsen Torosyan. Muradyan's representative stated in court that they consider Torosyan's statements during a televised report by Petros Ghazaryan to be defamatory, in which Torosyan labeled certain remarks by Muradyan as false.

Arsen Torosyan has also claimed that the campaign against him has been organized by Armen Muradyan. The plaintiffs are requesting that Torosyan retract his statements during a Facebook live broadcast, as well as through Petros Ghazaryan's same report.

Additionally, the plaintiffs are demanding two million drams from Arsen Torosyan. However, Torosyan's representative asserted that the claims are baseless and should be dismissed. Judge Grigor Vardanyan postponed the hearing to ensure the presence of a representative from the Public Television Company at the next court session.

The next hearing is scheduled for April 8, 2020, at 11:50 AM. During the session, the judge inquired whether the parties were willing to seek reconciliation. Torosyan's representative stated that they had not discussed the matter with their client, while Muradyan's representative indicated that they were waiting for the stance of the responding party before discussing their own position.

It is worth recalling that after pediatric oncologist Gevorg Tamamyan disrupted a press conference held by Arsen Torosyan, the minister stated that the campaign against him was orchestrated by Armen Muradyan. Muradyan subsequently responded to Torosyan by stating, “The mental peace of a public official should be more tranquil, and truthfulness should be paramount.”