Court finds leader of “National Accord” Party guilty of insulting Pashinyan
The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction of the First Instance has found Aram Harutyunyan, the leader of the “National Accord” party, guilty of publicly and gravely insulting RA Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. The guilty verdict was issued on March 6, presided over by Judge Arshak Matevosyan.
According to the charges, Aram Harutyunyan publicly voiced expressions containing extremely indecent and grave insults. The case concerns remarks addressed to Nikol Pashinyan during a rally of the “Resistance” movement in June 2022.
The defense has stated that they intend to appeal the court’s decision in the Court of Appeals.
Aram Harutyunyan’s lawyer, Sergey Harutyunyan, stated that Harutyunyan had previously undergone criminal proceedings for the same speech. At that time, he was accused of justifying violence, but he was acquitted in all three judicial instances.
According to the lawyer, a case was subsequently initiated against him for the same speech under the “insult” article. That article was later decriminalized, and the case was dismissed on the grounds of the absence of a crime.
However, the Prosecutor’s Office appealed that decision. The Court of Appeals overturned the decision of the Yerevan Court of First Instance and sent the case back to the same court for a new trial under a different judicial composition. According to the defense, this overall legal process has lasted approximately four years.
