Lawyer on Budaghyan case: Notary thinks longer than court (video)
A court in Yerevan has prolonged the detention of Ara Budaghyan, the man accused of an assassination attempt against the controversial governor of Syunik Marz, Surik Khachatryan. “Detention is usually extended when the court doubts that the accused may be hiding or may affect the other party. The investigator, however, did not present any argument,” said lawyer Hayk Alumyan. The Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts has a sad tradition. It never rejects a motion of the National Security Service to issue a detention order. A notary thinks longer before performing acts than a court before issuing an arrest warrant,” he added. “The investigator only demanded confrontation. But when we asked him about purpose of the confrontation, the investigator was unable to answer the question although he tried to,” the lawyer stressed. Mr Alumyan says the the court's decision has nothing to do with justice. “The court issued a standard decision. We are dealing with a gross error,” he said. The lawyer has appealed the decision to prolong the detention. the appeal against the decision to extend the detention. “There is only one reason for the detention – to accuse Budaghyan of a serious crime. Ara Budaghyan has nothing to do with all those people who were in the car. But in the given situation it is clear that everything is turned upside down. Mr Alumyan added that they are going to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. He believes that the behaviour of Armenian courts has resulted in the sharp increase of ECtHR judgments against Armenia. According to the Armenian Investigative Committee, Syunik Governor Surik Khachatryan, his driver and assistant came under fire on Kapan-Goris road on May 20. The report said nobody was hurt in the shooting. The NSS announced later that as a result of NSS ‘operational-investigative actions,’ four Kapan and Goris residents – Henrik Avagyan, Vitali Minasyan, Ara Budaghyan and Karen Atajanyan -were arrested on suspicion of being involved in the assassination attempt on Syunik Governor. Ara Budaghyan was charged with inducing an assassination attempt (criminal code of the Republic of Armenia, 38-34-104 article, 2nd part, 8th point). However, Ara Budaghyan denied any relation to the assassination attempt, also saying that he had not instigated anyone to commit the crime. Hayk Alumyan claims that the Budaghyans are being persecuted. He reminds that Ara’s brother Artak Budaghyan is sued for participating in a 2013 shootout outside Khachatryan’s sprawling mansion in Goris, in which their third brother Avetik Budaghyan was killed.
