YEREVAN, MARCH 9, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan Kentron and Nork-Marash first instance court presided over by judge Mnatsakan Martirosian on March 9 suspended the case on the part of defendant on the "case of the seven" Shant Haroutiunian until he recovers. According to the court decision, the examination on the part of the other 6 defendants should continue. The note received the same day from the Vardashen penitentiary institution, according to which Shant Haroutiunian has been behaving aggressively since March 5 was publicized at the court. He refused to eat, to be examined by a doctor, to meet RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian, who had come to see him, which, according to penitentiary department's psychiatrist, can be due to his having a psychical disorder. A little later defendant on the case, former Foreign Minister Alexander Arzumanian stated that S. Haroutiunian wanted to be present at the court sitting, but he was not permitted, though he was at the court building. The court in no way responded to the statement. At the same time the court on its own initiative made a decision to send S. Haroutiunian for a forensic-psychiatrical examination to find out whether he is ill, it yes, what disease he suffers from and how long, whether he is of sound mind, whether he was of sound mind when committing the crime he is accused of, whether he needs compulsory treatment or not, whether he is able to take part in the trial. The defence side protested against the decision to suspend the case on the part of the defendant, as a case can be suspended on the above mentioned basis in case of a mental and other grave disease, and as to S. Haroutiunian, there is no proof of his being ill yet. The defence side also expressed discontent saying that it is the court that decided the scope of questions to be asked to the experts, thus depriving the prosecutor and defence sides of the possibility to ask questions to experts. The court examined and turned down the petition of self-rejection addressed to the judge by Sargis Kloyan, the legal successor of the aggrieved, as according to him, the judge deprived S. Kloyan of the right to receive legal aid and the bailiffs did not permit his representative to enter the court hall. With the motivation of being ungrounded the judge also turned down lawyer Stepan Voskanian's petition, according to which the court gave no estimation to the fact of defendant Grigor Voskerchian's torture at the Nubarashen penitentiary institution and thus concealed the crime. The prosecutor side considers that the court is not a competent body in that issue, and the competent bodies have given their estimations, and the examination on the fact is underway. The court again used a judicial sanction for treating the court with disregard, and defendants Alexander Arzumanian, Sasun Mikayelian, Myasnik Malkhasian, Hakob Hakobian, and Suren Sirunian were sent away from the court hall for 10 days.

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