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Notorious Judge Advised the Dead Soldier’s Mother Where to Get Free Legal Advice

Nana Muradyan (pictured), mother of military conscript Valery Muradyan who died during his army service under non-combat conditions, protested outside Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork Marash Districts Universal Court against the activities of Armen Apresyan, the investigator of her son’s case. Earlier, the Special Investigative Service and the Prosecutor had rejected the criminal appeal against the investigator.

According to Muradyan, Apresyan violated article 217 of the criminal judicial code without studying all the case materials. According to the official stance, Valeri Muradyan had committed suicide by hanging himself, and stood on a metal chair, however neither the chair nor Muradyan’s shoes have been examined.

“I’m convinced that the examiner did that on purpose. If my son committed suicide, then his fingerprints and shoe prints must be on the chair. It wasn’t checked, because the killer’s prints are on them,” said Nana Muradyan in court.

Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan, while listening to Muradyan’s protest, stated that her actions came a bit too late. Martirosyan, particularly, asked why Muradyan had not presented her complaint against the examiner during the trial, appealing for a separate proceeding and why the soldier's mother “just remembered” about the soldier’s shoes. Muradyan responded saying that she was informed about it much later than the incident, when she was allowed to see what had been examined among her son’s clothes.

The Judge told Muradyan that she needed to use a lawyer’s service during the case’s examination period. According to Martirosyan, it is possible to apply to legal organizations to receive free services. “You apply, there are organizations, which would be happy to provide you with a lawyer,” said Martirosyan.

Martirosyan’s remarks angered not only Nana Muradyan but also the mothers of other dead soldiers in the courtroom. According to them, one consultation with a lawyer is worth 5000 AMD, while there are soldiers' cases that are delayed for some ten years.

“Nana’s is 4 years, mine 8, other's 13, even their oligarchs can't pay that kind of money. They killed our children and we have to pay to disclose that information?” said the mother of Tigran Ohanjanyan, who died in 2007, Gohar Sargsyan.

Note, that currently Nana Muradyan is receiving free legal services from Mushegh Shushanyan, who was not present during today’s hearing due to an illness.