Yesterday the Administrative Court of Armenia heard the case of the editor-in-chief of Haykakan Zhamanak daily Nikol Pashinyan. He announced in the Administrative Court that he had been in Armenia from February 26, 2008 to July 1, 2009. Pashinyan contested the decision of the RA Police Passport and Visa Department not to grant him an affidavit attesting to the fact that he has resided in Armenia for the past five years. Pashinyan needs the document to run in a parliamentary by-election. The Police stated that Pashinyan had been in search and wasn’t in the country at that period. The police claimed that they had based their argument with the written statement of the Hovhannes Tamamyan, head of the General Intelligence of Armenia, according to which Pashinyan was not found during the search period. And this gave them grounds to assume that the suspect was not in Armenia. Pashinyan said he hadn’t even thought of leaving the country during the above-mentioned period. "I seek to restore justice and constitutional order in my country which I couldn’t do from any other country," said Pashinyan and added: "I live in Armenia and I have a house in Ijevan. And it is still unclear on what grounds the police denied me the affidavit." "Besides, if I had left the country my passport would have born entry and exit seals.” “The police itself understands that there is evidently falsie information in this affidavit. That is why they are trying to find some other fake justifications,” said Pashinyan’s advocate Lusine Sahakyan. The court is due to bring in a verdict tomorrow.
