Supporters of Zhirair Sefilyan express their indignation about verdict to him

Zhirair Sefilyan, the leader of the Armenian movement "100 years without regime", and six other defendants were found guilty and sentenced to 2-10.5 years of imprisonment. Advocates, relatives and supporters of the defendants treated the verdict as a demonstration of power by the authorities.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Zhirair Sefilyan, the leader of the movement "100th anniversary without regime", was charged with organizing illegal arms trafficking, plotting riots and seizure of a police building in Yerevan.

Today, the first instance court of general jurisdiction of the Shengavit administrative district has found all the defendants guilty, reports the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, who attended the court hearing. Zhirair Sefilyan was sentenced to 10 years and 6 months of imprisonment.

Advocates of the defendants told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the judicial investigation was a "theatrical performance," and the verdict was ordered.

"A person is judged under three articles of the Criminal Code, and prosecutors submitted no evidence under any of them," advocate Araik Papikyan said.

"This is an ordered verdict. To find a person guilty under all three charges in such conditions means a demonstration of power. The authorities showed their force," emphasized advocate Tigran Airapetyan.

According to the defence, the decision of the first instance court will be challenged at the court of appeal, but formally, since the defence has to pass all Armenian instances to file a complaint to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.