They Won't Be Able to Silence Arushanyan: Defense Lawyer

In the combined criminal case against Arushan, there are two precautionary measures: bail and detention. In this case, the law states that a more favorable option must be chosen for the defendant. This was stated by defense attorney Armen Melkonyan in a conversation with NEWS.am today, November 5.

“There were two separate criminal cases against Arush Arushanyan; we made a motion, and the court combined these cases at the previous hearing because it was not practical to attend one in Kapan and the other in Goris. Then this problem arose, which we addressed, because the Criminal Procedure Code clearly states that a person cannot be both a representative of the victim and a witness in the same case. Our motion to remove the victim's representative from the proceedings is based on the law. Since the cases have been united into one criminal case, there are two precautionary measures for Arushanyan: one is bail, and the other is detention; however, there cannot be two precautionary measures for one person. The precautionary measure chosen in this case was bail for 2 million drams, and this case has been selected for bail. In this case, the law states that it is favorable for the defendant. Naturally, bail is the more favorable option,” he noted.

According to Melkonyan, the statements claiming that Arushanyan did not participate in the war are unacceptable. “I am ashamed on behalf of those people who made such statements. You accuse a person of a presumed crime, which is understandable, but what is it to deny a person's dedication to their homeland and participation in fighting? We were not alone; there were hundreds of people with us. How do you look those people in the eye, how do you deny what was done? Who held the positions, who participated in combat activities? I have hundreds of frames on my phone that I can show; what will those making such claims say? Instead of developing the strength, energy, and patriotism in those people, they are trying to silence them in this way. They will not be able to silence Arushanyan. That is not the type of person he is,” Melkonyan added.

It should be noted that today, November 5, the court session regarding Goris community leader Arush Arushanyan's case is taking place. Earlier, Arushanyan's attorney Erik Aleksanyan had informed reporters that the court will decide today on the ban on visits. He added that when the actual trial phase begins and the indictment is read, the defense intends to present a motion to replace the precautionary measure of detention with a more lenient option—bail or guarantees.