Daniel Ioannisyan to Publicly Apologize to Nairi Hokhikyan

“Daniel Ioannisyan will publicly apologize to Nairi Hokhikyan and will refute the slander directed against him,” reports attorney Lusine Virabyan regarding the court’s decision.

She elaborates, “The Civil Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan has granted Nairi Hokhikyan’s lawsuit against Daniel Ioannisyan. It should be noted that the basis for the claim was Ioannisyan’s post, in which he announced that he had submitted a report to the Prosecutor General regarding Hokhikyan. It is also relevant to mention that the proceedings concerning the prepared materials were later terminated.”

“In general, it is desirable to follow the hygiene of speech, to express oneself with mutual respect, so that later there isn’t a need to apologize for a thought expressed in two sentences and to refute it,” she added.

The court has ruled: “The demands regarding Nairi Khachiki Hokhikyan’s claim against Daniel Ara Ioannisyan for publicly refuting defamatory factual data, publicly apologizing for insult and slander, and paying compensation, have been partially granted.”

1. “The defendant, Daniel Ioannisyan, is obliged to publicly refute through his social media account on www.facebook.com, within one week after the judgment comes into legal force, the publication dated December 30, 2020, regarding the plaintiff Nairi Hokhikyan, by posting the text of the refutation determined by the court on the same platform with the following content: ‘In my personal page on www.facebook.com, in the publication dated 30.12.2020, spreading lies attributed to Nairi Hokhikyan, including about my sister and “throwing out the donkey,” are not factual data corresponding to reality, but rather my assumptions that should have been investigated by the NSS and the Prosecutor General of Armenia. I apologize to Nairi Hokhikyan for the expression “throwing out the donkey.”’

The remainder of the claim has been dismissed. An amount of 204,000 AMD has been collected from Daniel Ara Ioannisyan in favor of Nairi Khachiki Hokhikyan, of which 4,000 AMD is for the previously paid state duty, and 200,000 AMD is for reasonable attorney's fees, while the remainder of the claim for attorney's fees has been dismissed. The issue of court costs has been resolved in the remaining part. If the judgment is not voluntarily executed, it will be executed through the enforcement service at the expense of the debtor.”

The decision was made yesterday, on April 25. The sentence enters into legal force one month after publication. The decision can be appealed within one month in reconsideration procedure.