RA Criminal Court of Appeals, presided over by Judge Garnik Stepanyan, published today the decision regarding the appeal in the case of Vazgen Manukyan.
The court rejected the complaint presented by the defenders, leaving the verdict unchanged. on June 13, the judgment made by the criminal court of the first instance of Yerevan city (judge Vahe Misakyan), by which Vazgen Manukyan was found guilty and sentenced to a fine of 400 thousand drams. Let's remind that Vazgen Manukyan was charged under Article 301 of the RA Criminal Code (public calls aimed at usurping power, violating territorial integrity or forcibly overthrowing the constitutional order).
In Manukyan's case, defense attorneys Aram Vardevanyan and Erik Aleksanyan filed an appeal, demanding to overturn the guilty verdict and make an acquittal verdict or send the case for a new trial.
The defenders' demand was based on the argument that this criminal case is completely related to the freedom of speech, the restriction of which should imply weighty justifications.
Meanwhile, the judicial act did not have sufficient arguments and justifications, the context of the situation was not evaluated, the fact that the author of the statement was a politician and other factors stipulated by the RA Constitution and laws, as well as international conventions, were not taken into account.
