Witnesses in Armen Ashotyan's case questioned in closed hearing
A court in Yerevan on Monday started closed hearings to question witnesses in the criminal case against opposition politician Armen Ashotyan, granting the prosecutor’s request, his lawyer Ruben Melikyan revealed.
In a social media post, he stated that the order violated the principle of publicity in hearings.
“Granting the prosecutor’s motion, the court deprived the people of the opportunity to watch live the interrogation of witnesses and make their own "verdict" in Ashotyan's case,” the lawyer wrote.
“The motion filed by the Prosecutor's Office confirms the claims that this is outright political persecution.
“The defense team categorically objected the motion, but, obviously, the decision had been made in advance,” Melikyan added.
Ashotyan, a vocal government critic and deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) who served as Armenia’s education minister from 2012-2016, was arrested on 16 June 2023 on charges of abuse of power and money laundering strongly denied by him as politically motivated.
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