Prosecutors Are Not Interested in Justice Principles in Armen Charutyans Case: Aram Vardevanyan

If the law and humanitarian conduct, which is enshrined in legislation, were paramount for the Prosecutor’s Office, then the MP from the ‘Hayastan’ faction and former director of the Izmirlian Medical Center, Armen Charutyans, would have initiated an urgent court session regarding changing the preventive measure imposed on him. This was stated by Aram Vardevanyan, an MP from the ‘Hayastan’ faction, in an interview with NEWS.am.

“In this context, we haven’t heard any action from the Prosecutor’s Office; we haven’t heard, for instance, that an urgent court session is called. This is a serious issue. All of this is political revenge; it is not merely torture; it infringes upon the right to life of a person. The detention should be lifted immediately. Prosecutors here are not interested in law or the principles of justice,” said the MP.

According to Vardevanyan, Armen Charutyans is enduring political persecution, and he claims there is no opportunity for a second opinion. “The detention occurred with the grossest violation of the law by the actual judge of the Court of Appeals, Rubik Mikityan. It was well-known to all—law enforcement, the prosecutor, and the court—that Mr. Charutyans had health issues. Despite the immunity of the member of parliament, demonstrated proper conduct, and health problems, detention was chosen as a preventive measure. The fact is that Professor Charutyans's health condition has severely deteriorated.”

It is noteworthy that the Court of Appeals of Armenia satisfied the Prosecutor’s Office’s appeal against the August 23 decision to release Charutyans on bail. Following the court’s decision, Armen Charutyans voluntarily went to the penitentiary institution, where he was detained. On August 30, it became known that Charutyans's health had worsened, and he was transferred to a civilian hospital.

It is important to highlight that Charutyans has been charged under Article 154.2, Part 4, Clause 2 of the RA Criminal Code (bribery of voters, receiving bribes, violation of the prohibition on charity during elections, or obstructing the free exercise of the voter’s will).