Information regarding our legal battle in Armenia – Update as of March 3, 2005

Dear Friends:

The hearing on March 3 was never called to order – it didn’t happen. The next date is March 10. Some of what happened is below.

More than 40 people, including reporters from Armenia Now, Court TV, Haykakan Zhamanak, Yerkir, RFE/RL, HETQ, and others arrived at the new compound by 11:00 AM to attend the hearing. The two investigators (A. Nadirian and A. Basentsian) and Igityan were also present.

After over a half an hour waiting at the lobby of the new courthouse, an assistant to one of the judges approached our attorneys and announced the hearing was postponed by one week. Emil Danielian from Radio Free Europe/ Radio Liberty heard the conversation and asked for the official reason. The assistant appeared quite confused, but said something like "we have just moved, it's a technical reason." Emil said that the grand opening for the compound took place more than a week ago, and the court should now be settled with all technicalities. The assistant tried to say something like "well, we also have panel problems", meaning the panel of judges. The assistant said he did not believe that the judges would come down to open the hearing. At that moment our attorneys saw the investigators going upstairs accompanied by another assistant and so they asked for a meeting with judges to hear first hand the reason for not calling the hearing to order.

Twenty minutes passed and our attorneys were invited into the judges' secure area where they were met by two or the three judges, Eva Darbinian and Aida Hovanessian, hearing our case. They were, apparently, quite cordial and friendly. They apologized saying that the following: the presiding judge, Arthur Poghosyan, is ill and taking treatment at a therapy hospital in Yerevan. The judges tried to reassure our attorneys that there was no other reason except the judge’s illness. The judges were adamant that the hearing would be held next week and that there were no other reasons for the postponement. They asked our attorneys not to make any more of this –not to exaggerate the situation. They assured them that the case would be finished at the next hearing. Our attorneys assured them of our cooperation and understanding and left.

On Thursday morning (the morning of the hearing) an article by Edik Baghdasaryan was printed in Azg, the most widely read opposition newspaper in Yerevan. (The article is on www.hetq.am (Court link) describing how the investigators lied to their superiors at the Board meeting and then ran to Igityan’s apartment to photograph evidence to support his case. We don’t know if this article had something to do with the postponement. However, we are going to accept the judges’ statement and see what happens on March 10.

Carolann