Lawyer: There are questions in Vardan Sedrakyan's case the court must give answers to

Something is wrong in Vardan Sedrakyan's case and the
law- enforcers should properly inquire into it, Alexander Sirunyan, the lawyer
of the former candidate for president of Armenia, folklorist Vardan Sedrakyan,
told media, Monday.  

To recall, the assassination attempt against Paruyr
Hayrikyan, candidate for president of Armenia, Leader of the Union for National
Self-Determination Party, was made in the Tpagrichnery Street in Yerevan on Jan
31.  Hayrikyan was hospitalized with a
gunshot wound in shoulder and underwent surgery.A criminal case was initiated
on Article 34-305 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (assassination attempt
against a statesman, political figure or public worker in order to stop his
activity). The case is in charge of the National Security Service. On Feb 8 the
National Security Service of Armenia detained two men: Albert Poghosyan (1966)
and Samvel Haroutiunyan (1972), who have already pled guilty.  The former candidate for president Vardan
Sedrakyan is charged with organization of the assassination attempt.  General Court of the Yerevan Center and
Nork-Marash Administrative Districts on March 5 satisfied the petition of the
NSS for a two-month arrest of Sedrakyan as a measure of restraint.

"The case has two big shortcomings. Even if the
accused Poghosyan and Haroutiunyan committed the given crime, there are no
facts proving my client's complicity in it. In addition, no forensic
examinations have been carried out. The suspects have not undergone psychiatric
examination, which is a regular procedure," the lawyer said. He supposes
that even Poghosyan is not guilty in the crime.

Sirunyan is expected to demand explanations from the
court on Tuesday, as the 6-volume case contains no proofs of Sedrakyan's
complicity.  He said that Sedrakyan has
not given any testimonies yet.

"We want to understand who prompted Poghosyan and
Haroutiunyan to make such actions.  There
are witnesses saying that a man of European appearance at the age of 30 and
some 1.75m height attacked Hayrikyan, while the accused person looks quite
different," the lawyer said.  He
also added that Hayrikyan was fired at from a distance of 60cm from a 7.62mm
Nagant.  Consequently, the bullet could
not stick in the shoulder. Hayrikyan's wound shows that he was fired at from a
different weapon.

"It is a not a criminal
case, but a scenario for a Brazilian movie. 
Sedrakyan's arrest was misunderstanding that must be clarified,"
Sirunyan said.