AFP reports on the trial

Armenian Ex-foreign Min, 6 Others Faces Trial Over Unrest
Wednesday December 17th, 2008 / 11h34
YEREVAN, Armenia (AFP)--Seven top Armenian opposition supporters, including an ex-foreign minister, will go on trial Friday on charges of seeking to overthrow the government in unrest this year that left 10 dead. Prosecutors allege former foreign minister Alexander Arzumanian, three members of parliament and two other government critics were seeking to "usurp state power" when they organized mass protests in February. Thousands of supporters of former Armenian president Levon Ter-Petrosian rallied for 11 days to denounce President Serzh Sarkisian's victory in elections, before street battles broke out with riot police. Two police officers and eight civilians were killed in the clashes and dozens more were injured, many from gunshot wounds. Ter-Petrosian had finished second in the vote. Critics allege the prosecution is politically motivated and aimed at stamping out opposition to Sarkisian in the ex-Soviet republic. Arzumanian, Armenia's foreign minister from 1996 to 1998, was Ter-Petrosian's election campaign manager. The chief investigator in the case, Vahan Harutunian, said the evidence against the accused was extensive and prosecutors had interviewed more than 500 witnesses. "There is ample evidence to support the case, otherwise it would not have been sent to court," he said. "Even if they are politicians, they committed a crime, there is evidence of that and they are legally responsible. Everyone is equal before the law." But lawyer Hovik Arsenian, who represents Arzumanian and two other defendants, said the evidence against his clients was weak and he had no hope of getting an objective hearing. "This is an imitation of a court case," he said. "All of the so-called evidence in this case in fact proves the opposite - the innocence of my clients...it is obvious that this case has nothing to do with criminal justice." The defendants each face up to 15 years in prison if convicted. More than 140 people were arrested following the violence and 52 have already been tried and received prison sentences of varying lengths. Click here to go to Dow Jones NewsPlus, a web front page of today's most important business and market news, analysis and commentary: http://www.djnewsplus.com/access/al?rnd=%2BrBh76lPQUa%2FSGBtsqVyNA%3D%3D. You can use this link on the day this article is published and the following day.
Wednesday December 17th, 2008 / 11h34