Archbishop Bagrat's visitation ban lifted

PanARMENIAN.Net - The court has lifted the visitation ban imposed on Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan. The announcement was made by his attorney, Hovhannes Khudoyan, as reported by Sputnik Armenia.

According to the lawyer, another appeal had been filed requesting the removal of the detention measure, but that appeal was denied.

"I had submitted an appeal to completely lift the visitation ban on Bagrat Srbazan, while attorney Aram Orbelyan appealed for the full removal of the detention. We were verbally informed by the Court of Appeals that Mr. Orbelyan’s appeal was denied, but mine was granted. I assume, in full," said Khudoyan.

During continued preliminary hearings, Khudoyan filed a motion to terminate the criminal prosecution against his clients, Bagrat Srbazan and Deacon Hrayr, citing a lack of corpus delicti. He stated that the high degree of political interference and frequent violations of the presumption of innocence in this case preclude the possibility of any fair judicial outcome.

He further argued that even a verdict acquitting the defendants could not be considered just, if it follows prolonged investigations and evidence reviews.

Khudoyan emphasized that although technically he can only file motions concerning his own clients, the motion applies to all 18 defendants involved in the Sacred Struggle case.

Archbishop Bagrat and 18 others have been charged with attempting to seize power. According to the Investigative Committee, members and leaders of the Sascred Struggle movement “planned to carry out terrorist acts aimed at overthrowing the government in Armenia.”