Lawyers of former Armenian president threatened

The lawyers of former Armenian president Robert Kocharyan, who is currently under arrest, have reported threats made against them.

One of the lawyers, Hayk Alumyan, said that he began receiving threats as soon as he agreed to help defend Robert Kocharyan.

He quoted one of the threats: “You will be punished. You are a traitor to the nation. You will be convicted with Robert. You came out against the people, and we know where you live.”

“I have never seen lawyers subjected to something of the sort. For me, these are signs of dangerous precedents. Everybody says there will be no pressure on the trial. And I see that there truly is no pressure from the side of the authorities. But if the courts are placed under severe pressure by the publix, then what’s the difference? The judge overseeing the trial would still feel pressured.”

Human rights advocates and colleagues of the lawyers have expressed their support.

Lawyer Argishti Kiviryan wrote on his Facebook page:

“As far as I understand, we should define who are ‘haters of the nation’ based on a Facebook vote and have them shot without a trial or investigation. What do you need defence and lawyers for?”

Human rights advocate Avetik Ishkhanyan says that the reason for this outbreak is the judicial illiteracy among a certain portion of the population.

“Our society still does not know what the rule of law or a fair investigation are. And I am particularly regretful of the fact that there are public figures among them.”

Discussions on Armenian-language Facebook pages concerning the arrest of Robert Kocharyan have been ongoing for about two weeks. Many users criticize the lawyers of the ex-president.

“You have spent your entire lives helping to hide these crimes. What a shame that this isn’t 1937, otherwise Kocharyan would have been shot long ago,” wrote one user. 

“Has money blinded you? There is a limit to everything. Imagine that your loved ones were among the victims as well,” added another.