YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)During the Wednesday session of the "September 25" trial– defendant Mkrtych Meghavorian testified that on the day in question–while soldiers began shooting to disperse pro-democracy protesters–he was at the entrance of his house and he never returned to the parliament building. According to Meghavorian–his neighbors could confirm his testimony.
According to the defendant–he decided to walk away from the parliament building when he felt there was going to be violence. He testified that he saw 40-45 short-haired young men dressed in athletic gear–who seemed to be very active during the chaos. He also testified that the demonstrators did not possess any arms.
Rejecting his testimony from the preliminary investigation–Meghavorian informed the court that investigators wrote his testimony–while he was subjected to physical and psychological pressure. A forensic doctor at prison number one and representatives of the International Red Cross Committee drew up a protocol on the injuries received by the defendant from beatings by prison guards during preliminary custody.
The next session of court was scheduled for Monday by Judge Hovik Goukasian.