One of the regular proceedings against advocates was quashed

At the disciplinary hearingof the Board of the Chamber of Advocates, advocates Nina Karapetyants and Arayik Papikyan filed a motion in the CA Board applying to allow them to hold a videofilming.

After having returned from the deliberation room, the Board announced the decisionto allow recording only, stating that the applicant’s opinion was not known. Defense lawyer Arayik Papikyan mentioned that he had personally appealed to Judge Tatevik Grigoryan in order to clarify her position on video filming during the trial.

“During the hearing,she announced that she was not obliged to answer me. She did not respect me and the Board. Herunclear and strange behavior does not conform to the high calling of hers. She also made an illegal decision,whichis now being examined by the Board. Because someone’swish or perversitydeprived me of having the motion satisfied, I declare that I am not going to attend the hearingand I am leaving it,”said ArayikPapikyan.

While the advocates were leaving the court room, the advocate of the “Sasna Tsrer”group members’ and “Zhirayr Sefilyan and others” cases reminded that harassmentswith the help of judicial sanctions had been initiated against them since last year. Arayik Papikyan even recalled that during the trial of the “Sasna Tsrer”case, one of the judges imposed a sanctionagainst him as if he had left the court room; yet, the bailiffshad not allowedhim to enter the room and he was standing in the court yard. “The challenge is more global:the judicial power is terrorizing, which is unwittingly supported by the CA Board,”the defender added.

Nina Karapetyants expressed her regret that the members of the Boardwere not aware of the lasting harassments against advocates. Tigran Khurshudyan, who waspresiding the hearing, announced that he had not been aware of such harassments. “The entire international community responded to the harassments concerning to the sanctions against the advocates. Advocates were definitely harassed: there could not have been any other purpose. I regret that the Boardhad not noticed that,”human rights defender and advocate Nina Karapetyantsnoted.She went on to add that by forbidding the video filming, the CA Board protected the applying party and violated the rights of the respondent.

The advocates left the courtroom; andafter having returned from the deliberation room, the Board decided to quashdisciplinary proceedingsN 17189 against ArayikPapikyan, Nina Karapetyants, and Tigran Hayrapetyan.