I Hope the Judge Will Resist Pressure and Render an Unbiased Ruling: Onik Gasparyan's Attorney

The defense attorney of the former chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Onik Gasparyan, stated that he has no information regarding the circulating rumors that the judge assigned to Gasparyan's application is under pressure from the authorities. "I hope that even if there is any pressure, the judge will resist it and will render a justified, well-founded decision," Arthur Hovhannisyan, Gasparyan's lawyer, told Aysor.am.

The attorney noted that a decision on accepting the case for proceedings has not yet been made. Hovhannisyan emphasized that what initially happened around Onik Gasparyan did not fall within the legal framework, and the steps they are taking by addressing the Administrative Court will fit into a legal rationale. "We must protect our client's interests through means not prohibited by law and take appropriate legal actions, which in this case means submitting the relevant claim to the Administrative Court, which we have done," he stated.

Gasparyan's attorney mentioned that their claim is more than justified, and the measures for securing the claim are, of course, substantiated. "Seeing the court's position, that is, if the security of the claim is granted, we will understand that if there have been pressures, they have not had an effect. If the measure for securing the claim is denied, we can draw conclusions, discuss, and understand the reasons for the denial, including any alleged pressures," Hovhannisyan noted.

According to the former chief of staff’s attorney, if the court grants the claim's security even without a final ruling, the very next day Onik Gasparyan should resume the execution of his powers as Chief of the General Staff, thus suspending Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's proposal and its consequences.

It should be noted that Onik Gasparyan has approached the Administrative Court demanding that the order for his dismissal be declared illegal. The case has been assigned to Judge Mher Petrosyan. Today, reports circulated that the government has started to exert pressure on Judge Mher Petrosyan regarding Gasparyan's case to prevent him from granting the motion for security measures. On March 10, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan announced that Onik Gasparyan had been legally dismissed from his position.