Details Disclosed by Lawyer in Arush Arushanyan Case

The lawyer for Goris Mayor Arush Arushanyan, Erik Aleksanyan, has provided several crucial details from recent court hearings in the case against Arushanyan, asserting that the charges against him are evidently fabricated and unlawful.

"As is known, Arush Arushanyan is accused of having allegedly prepared to commit a serious crime during the pre-election campaign for the early parliamentary elections held on June 20, 2021, by directly intending to bribe two or more voters to vote for the 'Armenia' alliance. However, due to circumstances beyond his control, the crime was not completed," Aleksanyan stated.

Furthermore, Arushanyan is accused of allegedly exploiting the dependency of socially disadvantaged individuals to organize the coercion of two or more voters in the Karahunj community to participate in the early parliamentary elections and vote for the 'Armenia' alliance on June 20, 2021.

Initially, the basis for the charges against Arushanyan was solely the testimony of the administrative head of the Karahunj community, Lusine Avetyan, who claimed that Arushanyan had told her that everyone who votes for the 'Armenia' alliance would receive social assistance after the elections. She also alleged that he ordered her to ensure that all individuals who received social assistance in May 2021 participated in the elections and voted for the 'Armenia' alliance.

We have repeatedly informed the public that at the very beginning of the investigation, Lusine Avetyan testified twice that Arushanyan had committed no crime, and regarding the social assistance, she clearly stated that she could not say whether the assistance was disguised bribery for participation in rallies supporting Arushanyan’s party, as she had not discussed this with anyone, including Arushanyan. She added that although she speculated it was related to the elections, she had no concrete discussions about it.

After giving such testimony, Avetyan was arrested. The day following her arrest, she gave additional testimony claiming she had lied previously, stating that Arushanyan had indeed prepared to bribe voters and had organized the coercion of two or more voters in Karahunj to participate in the elections and vote for the 'Armenia' alliance, which she reiterated during a confrontation with Arushanyan.

Following her testimony incriminating Arushanyan, Lusine Avetyan was released on bail shortly after the decision from the prosecutor's office. It is evident that a less severe measure was chosen for her only after she had corroborated her subsequent testimony during the confrontation with Arushanyan. Notably, the confrontation took place on July 19, 2021, and the decision to change Avetyan's measure was made the next day, suggesting a reasonable inference that there was an informal 'testimony for freedom' arrangement.

Subsequently, when the case against Arushanyan and Avetyan was forwarded to the court with an accusatory conclusion, Avetyan testified in court that her last two testimonies against Arushanyan were false and that she made such statements to be released from custody, realizing that the issue was not with her but with Arushanyan. She added that she could no longer remain silent and wrongly accuse Arushanyan.

During the court proceedings, four out of six witnesses called by the defense (individuals who received social assistance) stated that they were in need and had asked Arushanyan for help, which he provided. They also stated that Arushanyan had never discussed elections with them nor offered bribes, and he did not force them to participate in rallies or vote for the 'Armenia' alliance.

Moreover, the recent court hearings revealed that some of these witnesses, who initially reported the crime to the NSS and the police, either did not understand what they had written or had been influenced by individuals from the ruling party, such as Nerses Khachatryan and Margarita Hovsepyan, who visited them and claimed the social assistance they received was actually disguised bribery, urging them to go to the police and report it.

The witnesses made it clear during the court session that fearing potential arrest due to those threats, they went to the police, where they stated that the funds received were social assistance, not a bribe. However, due to their inability to write, they dictated to the investigator that the assistance was a bribe. The court later confirmed that two of these witnesses could not actually read or write.

We inform the public that during yesterday's court session, Margarita Hovsepyan from the ruling party confessed to visiting these witnesses to inquire about the nature of the social assistance they received, claiming, “I wanted to make a revelation.” Yet, she failed to convincingly explain her authority to conduct such inquiries.

It became apparent that Hovsepyan, who had allegedly had previous issues with Arushanyan, was filled with hatred toward him and would be pleased that he was incarcerated.

From the provided information, it seems clear what the real motive was behind Hovsepyan's visit to these witnesses.

Dear compatriots, recent court sessions have unveiled further revelations, which will be discussed later, but we believe this is sufficient to prove that the political authorities have been operating a scheme to force illiterate individuals to provide statements and testimonies against Lusine Avetyan, which would then compel her to testify against Arush Arushanyan, ultimately allowing for his prolonged deprivation of liberty. In other words, there has been an operation to incarcerate Arush Arushanyan at all costs.

Believe me, the above is the entire façade of this disgraceful criminal case, and under these circumstances, the criminal prosecution against Arush Arushanyan should be characterized as illegal and politically motivated – it is sheer naivety," the statement from Aleksanyan concludes.