David Tonoyan Subjected to Psychological Torture: Statement from Legal Team

The former Minister of Defense of Armenia, David Tonoyan, is being subjected to psychological torture. This was stated in a release by the legal team representing the former Minister.

"We continue to assert that David Tonoyan is being held in custody in a discriminatory manner. In addition to the closed-door nature of the court hearings, technical reasons have also led to these hearings being held once every two months. Moreover, the next court hearing is scheduled for May 2, 2022. In fact, the court has been idle for three months. We consider this as psychological torture and an imposition of punishment on detained individuals, which David Tonoyan has also stated at the Court of Appeals, while simultaneously demanding a public trial.

In response to the presiding judge Mnatsakan Harutyunyan's question regarding the purpose of conducting closed court hearings, David Tonoyan replied that it is to prevent the public from seeing the absurdity of the charges presented.

Tonoyan also stated in the appellate court that he made the right decision regarding the acquisition of missiles, which at that time contributed to the enhancement of the capabilities of the Armenian Armed Forces, as evidenced by the fact that, contrary to claims that the missiles supposedly acquired were not used during the 44-day war and training exercises, the evidence obtained in the criminal case has proved and substantiated the contrary.

Another important point is that there are no steps being taken to ensure the further use of the relevant munitions and to provide for their maintenance, as a prohibition has been placed on their operation," the statement reads.