Lragir reports on Human Rights Defender's Dec. 12 statement

HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER CALLS FOR PROFESSIONAL OBSERVATION
The human rights defender Armen Harutiunyan made a statement on December 12 on the trial of the detained leaders of the opposition, the so-called case of seven, which starts December 19. Armen Harutiunyan stated that the monitoring of trials of March 1 showed the prosecution lacks distinct evidence, and the courts mostly judge in favor of the interests of the prosecution. Meanwhile, the ombudsman notes that he believes in the defense. Besides, Armen Harutiunyan stated that as a way out of the situation he is for pardon and amnesty, although he is for amnesty rather since it does not require that the detainee writes letters of pardon or repentance. With regard to the case of 7, Armen Harutiunyan said it could be an indicator of strategic development of the society because both prosecution and defense have been focusing efforts on this case. Therefore, the human rights defender says his office will constantly monitor the trial, use its scarce resource at full, follow attentively the arguments of both prosecution and defense, the behavior of the judge, and in the end of the proceedings the office will make an assessment, possibly in a report. Armen Harutiunyan thinks it will guarantee a professional and unbiased approach of his office, avoiding early opinion, which may be described as an effort to pressure on the trial.Armen Harutiunyan urges the media to behave similarly, noting that scandals and shows distract from real arguments and lead in a different direction, which hinders professional observation. “It is necessary to listen to both sides professionally to go on to make a conclusion,” Armen Harutiunyan said, giving an almost similar answer to all the questions of reporters concerning the assessment of the proceedings so far.

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