On February 18, the Criminal Court of Appeal did not satisfy Pashinyan’s appeal and left the decision of the first instance court of the Aragatsotn region unchanged.<\/p>\n
The journalist’s lawyers claim that Pashinyan\u2019s punishment has been intentionally calculated incorrect as a result of which their client will remain in prison until May 2013, i.e. about five months more.<\/p>\n
“The authorities in every way prevent Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s political and journalistic activities and are prepared to release him only when the next presidential elections are completed,” commented lawyer Yervand Varosyan.<\/p>\n
The verdict still not accepted, Pashinyan stated that it will be against him, because there are no independent courts in Armenia: judges are \u201chenchmen\u201d, the law does not work, and that the authorities are \u201cso frightened\u201d that instead of talking face to face to him they talk \u201cthrough criminal and oligarch riffraff and through the courts.”<\/p>\n
The editor-in-chief of \u201cHaykakan Zhamanak\u201d daily announced also that he would bring the administration of the penitentiary to trial for spreading \u2018obscene\u2019 lies about him. The penitentiary had disseminated information on that Pashinyan has cheated that “Artik” penitentiary institution has not accepted his letters. Pashinyan\u2019s lawyer said that they would appeal to the European Court.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
On February 18, the Criminal Court of Appeal did not satisfy Pashinyan’s appeal and left the decision of the first instance court of the Aragatsotn region unchanged.<\/p>\n
The journalist’s lawyers claim that Pashinyan\u2019s punishment has been intentionally calculated incorrect as a result of which their client will remain in prison until May 2013, i.e. about five months more.<\/p>\n
“The authorities in every way prevent Nikol Pashinyan\u2019s political and journalistic activities and are prepared to release him only when the next presidential elections are completed,” commented lawyer Yervand Varosyan.<\/p>\n
The verdict still not accepted, Pashinyan stated that it will be against him, because there are no independent courts in Armenia: judges are \u201chenchmen\u201d, the law does not work, and that the authorities are \u201cso frightened\u201d that instead of talking face to face to him they talk \u201cthrough criminal and oligarch riffraff and through the courts.”<\/p>\n
The editor-in-chief of \u201cHaykakan Zhamanak\u201d daily announced also that he would bring the administration of the penitentiary to trial for spreading \u2018obscene\u2019 lies about him. The penitentiary had disseminated information on that Pashinyan has cheated that “Artik” penitentiary institution has not accepted his letters. Pashinyan\u2019s lawyer said that they would appeal to the European Court.<\/p>\n
The journalists’ professional activities were prevented in every way in \u201cArtik\u201d prison where the trial was held. The prison head Vardan Sargsyan personally prevented the journalists: he did not allow them to record and shoot the trial. Journalists were able to work only after appealing to the court against the head of \u201cArtik\u201d penitentiary administration.<\/p>\n
Pashinian was sentenced to 7 years in prison on January 19, 2010 for so-called \u201cMarch 1 case\u201d. He was found guilty according to the 1st part of Article 225 for organizing mass disorders. Two months later, the Appeals Court left Pashinyan\u2019s verdict unchanged, but granted him amnesty and reduced the size of his punishment by half.<\/p>\n