Arushanyan Not Seeking Logic in Events, Defense on False Testimony

During the court session yesterday at the Goris headquarters of the Syunik region's general jurisdiction court, defendant and Goris community leader Arush Arushanyan's case saw Keyarahunj community leader Lusine Avetyan refuse her testimony given to the preliminary investigation body, insisting that she had provided false testimony against Arushanyan.

In an interview with ArmDaily.am, Arushanyan's lawyer Erik Aleksanyan stated that the defense had highlighted that Lusine Avetyan's testimonies are not credible and are false. "This was also confirmed during the court hearing when she confessed to providing false testimony. The most important thing here is that Lusine Avetyan also explained why she had lied—she was evading detention and did everything she could to get out of detention, understanding that by providing false testimony against Arush Arushanyan, she would be released; and indeed, her predictions turned out to be correct. This means that Ms. Avetyan’s explanation in this context is very clear, and it once again confirms what we've said, that an unlawful criminal prosecution was initiated against Arushanyan based on false testimony, and because of that false testimony, he has been in custody for 5 months," said Aleksanyan.

The trial concluded with Lusine Avetyan's testimony. The lawyer stated that the next court session would move on to the examination of other evidence. "We have about 6 witnesses that we need to interrogate. What the defense will do after that will depend on tactical considerations, and at this moment, I cannot comment on that," noted the lawyer.

When asked how credible Avetyan's other testimonies could be given her previous false testimony, Erik Aleksanyan replied, “During the preliminary investigation, Avetyan gave testimony 6 times, and during the court proceedings, she provided one testimony, which makes a total of 7 testimonies. Now, the court must evaluate all 7 testimonies when deciding in the consultative room later in the trial phase, and understand which of them is credible and make corresponding decisions regarding that. I cannot say how the court will assess which it will view as credible and which it will not.”

Regarding Arushanyan, the lawyer noted that he feels very well, is very strong, and resilient. "His opinion on everything happening here is very clear—he knows he is being politically persecuted, hence he does not even attempt to find logic in what is happening," said the lawyer.