David Tonoyan on the New Project of the Ministry of Defense

Former Minister of Defense of Armenia David Tonoyan's legal team regularly receives inquiries from the media. They have now presented his answers to the recent questions received.

Mr. Tonoyan, how do you assess the draft law on making amendments and supplements to the law "On Military Service and the Status of Servicemen," which proposes serving for 4.5 months in exchange for a payment of 24 million drams instead of 2 years?

The presented draft is consistent with the government's and political authority's "peace agenda." Personally, both I and the Ministry of Defense have consistently opposed such initiatives. For me, the provisions proposed by the draft are unacceptable. Serving in the Armed Forces of Armenia should be welcomed and encouraged, not treated as a form of service that one can escape by paying a "ransom."

It is interesting whether there will be transparency regarding the names of those who will pay to exempt their children from at least 1.5 years of military service "sacrifices." Recently, you and your lawyers have often expressed dissatisfaction with the actions of the judge, but it seems he will no longer be handling your case.

First of all, I must note that since the case was registered in court, 7 court hearings have been scheduled, of which only 4 were held. In total, there have been about 8-9 hours of court hearings over the past 8 months.

While I am not particularly concerned that the criminal case has been sent to the Anti-Corruption Court, I cannot help but note that Judge Manvel Shahverdyan has been aware of this case's subjection to the Anti-Corruption Court since at least April 2021, when the respective amendment was made to the "Judicial Code" constitutional law.

In my deep conviction, Judge Manvel Shahverdyan has deliberately and artificially delayed the court hearings over these months in order to "throw this case off his back." As a result, both I and the other individuals involved in the case have been unlawfully deprived of our liberty without any legal basis.

Moreover, by unnecessarily prolonging the process, the judge has not allowed me to refute the prosecution's claim that I might exert pressure on witnesses and other participants of the trial. And that is the only "justification" for keeping me in detention for about a year, based on that fabricated "concern."