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Cassation Court refuses to reopen proceedings in Harsnakar case

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The lawyers of a a high-profile murder case have not received the decision of the Cassation Court which on October 31 refused to reopen the proceedings in the Harsnakar case, Datalex.am reports. The Court rejected the appeals of both sides – the defendants and the legal representative of the victim. “The decision takes effect the moment it is made: it is final and is not subject to appeal,” the decision reads. The defendants, who were officially presented as security guards or workers of the Harsnakar restaurant in Yerevan, were accused of beating to death a customer in an incident that happened in June 2012.  In March 2014, a Yerevan court gave the each of the six defendants – Garik Margaryan, Arman Khachatryan, Arman Baghdasaryan, Arthur Babloyan, Norayr Hayrapetyan and David Adamyan – 12 years in prison – one year less than demanded by the prosecuting attorney. The court also ruled that each of the defendants must pay a fine of 100 000 dram. The verdict was later disputed in the Court of Appeals which left the decision of a lower court unchanged. The death of Vahe Avetyan, a 35-year-old father of three, shocked the nation. The incident caused a public uproar in Armenia as hundreds of civic activists and other citizens held demonstrations at the restaurant as well as the house of its owner Ruben Hayrapetyan. This led to Hayrapetyan’s resignation as member of the Armenian parliament.