Why Did the Judge Reject the Change of Detention Measure for the Seriously Ill Individual? Clarification from the Supreme Judicial Council

The health condition of Agvan Arshakyan, a supporter of the 'Holy Struggle' movement, remains concerning. Varazdat Harutyunyan, the lawyer for Arshakyan who is currently in Armavir Prison, has raised alarms regarding the deterioration of the young man's health.

Recently, the lawyer reported that both the Court of Appeals (M. Harutyunyan) and the First Instance Court of Yerevan (Gnel Gasparyan) rejected the requests for the release of Agvan Arshakyan from custody. It is noteworthy that Arshakyan was diagnosed with cancer two years ago and must undergo mandatory examinations every three months under medical supervision.

Auroranews inquired with the spokesperson of the Judicial Department, Tsovinar Khachatryan, about why the judge rejected the motion to change the detention measure of a seriously ill individual. In a conversation with us, the spokesperson noted that lawyer Varazdat Harutyunyan had published on his Facebook page that his assumption, alleging that the Court rejected his motion because no new circumstances were presented, does not reflect reality.

It is worth mentioning that the lawyer himself states on his page that the reason for the rejection is not substantive but rather technical. Therefore, I believe that before giving interviews, one should familiarize themselves with the decision and adhere only to that; otherwise, confusion arises among the public.

Tsovinar Khachatryan added that the lawyer himself mentioned in his text that the judge had assigned the obligation to promptly appoint a medical examination, which had not been carried out for about 25 days. “I sincerely wish health to Agvan Arshakyan, and I will also say that in my opinion, the judge who assigns an immediate medical examination cannot be indifferent to the situation of someone whose health has deteriorated, which they are unfairly attempting to attribute to him,” stated the head of the press service of the Judicial Department.

Additionally, lawyer Varazdat Harutyunyan has just reported that the motion regarding the release/change of custody for Agvan Arshakyan has been accepted for consideration (Judge Gnel Gasparyan). The hearing will take place tomorrow.