The examination of the criminal case initiated against Marina Poghosyan, President of “Veles” non-governmental organisation is pending at the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts. The court publicised the materials of the case, and the interview entitled “Usurers incite the citizens to suicide” was also included in the materials.

This gives rise to many questions, perhaps also answers some questions. How does the interview of President of “Veles” non-governmental organization tie in with the criminal case initiated? First, let us briefly present what Marina Pogosyan had said during that interview. In the first sentence she blames the law enforcement system for corruption, and the officials for indifference, arbitrariness and illiteracy. Poghosyan mentions that the law enforcement officers play on peoples’ fate within the framework of various orders. “Whatever I said I can prove, one by one, through documents, but our police, prosecution office and court system ignore these facts”: said the human rights defender.

Now, let us understand why the preliminary investigation body had attached the interview to the materials of the criminal case, when the criminal case was initiated against Marina Poghosyan on a charge of illegal taking of immoveable property. In the interview given in 2014, Poghosyan acted as a human rights defender who fought against corruption and illegalities. Whereas the criminal case initiated against her in 2015 referred to the dispute arisen over the apartment of Canadian-Armenian Arpi Meras. That means her interview could in no way have any evidentiary significance for the given criminal case.

In court prosecutor accuser Edgar Petrosyan did not clarify how the interview appeared in the materials of the criminal case. Instead, Arpi Meras’s representative, advocate Hrant Ananyan, tried to clarify by saying that he thought the interview was attached to the case for the identification of identity. Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan clarified that other documents exist for the identification of identity, such as the passport and other documents.

And, in fact, it is very difficult to find a criminal case in Armenian practice, where interviews of a person given to media are used for the identification of that person. Marina Poghosyan comments on what has happened in this way: “In that interview I blamed everyone – the investigators, prosecutors, judges. We also addressed many open letters announcing that the prosecutor’s office sponsored the usurers. Thus, it is clear that after such public accusations I made a lot of enemies in that field and this criminal case was a good opportunity for them to take a revenge on me. If Arpi Meras really had a property dispute with me, she could settle it in the civil court, as prescribed by law, but I gradually become convinced that the elderly woman is used to pursue criminal prosecution against me”: said Marina Poghosyan in conversarion with “1in.am”.

With regard to the identification of a person by using his or her interviews, Poghosyan jokingly said: “If people are identified by the interviews given to “1in.am”, only those who have managed to give an interview to you by 2 April, may participate in the elections”.

Note that prosecutor accuser Edgar Petrosyan and victim in the case Arpi Meras did not answer the questions of the journalists during the previous sittings. The prosecutor explained that he did not wish to publicise a preliminary investigation secret, and Arpi Meras kept silent on the advice of advocate Ananyan.

The next court sitting on the case of Marina Poghosyan is to be held on April 11, at 15:00.

Material by Arman Gharibyan

http://www.1in.am/2115159.html