The trial in the case of Armen Charchyan, executive director of “Izmirlyan” Medical Center, is coming to an end. Today, on 10 January, lawyer Erik Aleksanyan made a defense speech during the court session.

Charchyan is accused of forcing to participate in the 20 June, 2021 elections. A few days before the voting (18 June), a part of the recording of Charchyan’s meeting with the hospital employees was distributed, which the law enforcement officials describe as obstructing the exercise of the voter’s free will. The article incriminated to Charchyan also refers to forcing to vote against someone.

According to Iravaban.net, the lawyer initially claimed that the case was initiated on the basis of the report of the press secretary of the Special Investigation Service (now dissolved), which was an illegitimate reason, and referred to the recording distributed on the “Baghramyan 26” telegram channel.

“Besides, the charge brought against Armen Charchyan is not certain, there is no specification of the form of coercion, what threats we are talking about, whether the pressure was psychological or physical, there is no specification regarding the negative consequences. Moreover, according to the recording, Charchyan, concluding his speech, promised that there would be no repression,” Aleksanyan noted.

The lawyer insisted that Charchyan met with the employees of the MC not as the director of the “Izmirlian” MC or a member of the “Armenia” Alliance, but as a friend.

“None of the interrogated witnesses even during the preliminary investigation disclosed any data that Armen Charchyan forced any of them to perform this or that action, or with the participation of the latter’s employees of the “Izmirlyan” Medical Center” CJSC on 18 June, 2021 at the speech during the meeting organized and held at 09:30 was perceived by them as coercion, coercion to participate in the elections and/or/ to vote for the “Armenia” Alliance, and not the “Civil Contract” Party,” the lawyer said.

Eric Aleksanyan interceded to acquit Charchyan of the charges, to recognize and declare his innocence. “Anything other than an acquittal is not acceptable.”

Prosecuting Hayk Hovhannisyan responded to the defense speech, noting that the materials prepared on the basis of the report of the Press Spokesperson of the Special Investigation Service, and not the report itself, became the reason for the initiation of a criminal case. The body implementing the procedure took the necessary actions, as a result of which the criminal case was initiated. “The decisions and analyzes cited by the defender are not relevant to this case. I claim that the criminal case was initiated under the conditions of the existence of a legal reason and sufficient grounds. The claims of the defense side are groundless and aim to create the illusion of the inadmissibility of the obtained evidence under the pretext of alleged procedural violations.”

In addition, according to the prosecutor, Charchyan held a meeting, during which he forced the attendees of the meeting to participate in the 2021 elections with the threat of severe and inadequate treatment.

Hayk Hovhannisyan also referred to the other statements of Erik Aleksanyan and mentioned that he insists on the incriminating speech.

To remind, the prosecutor demands that Charchyan be found guilty and sentenced to 5 years in prison.

After the session, Armen Charchyan announced that the defender’s speech was valid. He also claimed that the case was initiated illegally.

In response to Iravaban.net ‘s question, how did it happen that the recording of the meeting appeared on the “Baghramyan 26” Telegram channel, maybe at least one employee present at the meeting considered his words threatening? Charchyan replied that he was not interested. How did the recording appear in “Baghramyan 26”?

He added that he himself asked his 2 employees to record the meeting. “I intuitively felt or predicted that there could be persecutions. I asked them to record it myself. Naturally, that recording could have appeared in other places by deception or fraud.

Details in the video.

Yevgenya Hambardzumyan