On December 14 the court of primary jurisdiction of Center and Nork-Marash
of Yerevan started hearing the case of a professor of Yerevan State Institute
of Cinema and Theater, theater director Armen Mazmanian, charged with libel
and insult of the head of “ALM” TV company Tigran Karapetian. The criminal proceedings
were instituted on August 23, 2006 by the Prosecutor’s Office of Yerevan basing
on the appeal of Tigran Karapetian submitted to the General Prosecutor’s Office
on July 21. The reason for the address was the statements of Armen Mazmanian
to the address of Tigran Karapetian that the latter qualified as libelous and
insulting. The statements were made in the program of “ARMENAKOB” TV company
“The Word with No Tie On”, aired on July 18, 2006. According to the charges
made, Armen Mazmanian called the head of “ALM” “a populist parrot, semi-literate,
a pickpocket” and announced that while residing in Volgograd Tigran Karapetian
was convicted for “sexual abuse of minors”. The appeal of Tigran Karapetian
had a videotape of the program enclosed. The investigation on the case was completed
on October 23. Armen Mazmanian was charged with Part 1, Article 135 (“Libel”)
and Part 1, of Article 136 (“Insult”) of the RA Criminal Code, stipulating penal
sanctions.
At the session of December 14 Armen Mazmanian’s attorney Haik Halumian addressed
the court with a motion to give him time to study the case materials. The motion
was secured.
The next session is scheduled for January 12, 2007.
