Mikael Ajapahyan`s lawyer: The judge`s decisions are politically motivated being made outside of the courtroom

ArmInfo. The judge's decisions in the case of Archbishop Mikael Ajapakhyan are dictated by political considerations and are  essentially made outside the courtroom, as stated by Ara Zohrabyan, member of the Archbishop's defense team, in a conversation with journalists following the latest hearing in the case.

He stated that during the hearing, the prosecutor had requested a sentence of 2 years and 6 months, and the court's final decision will be made on October 3. Zohrabyan is already certain that the court will find the cleric guilty. "At most, the court may reduce his sentence to two years," the lawyer suggested.

Zohrabyan believes there is no point in expecting a different verdict, as the judge's violations are evident, as they were also evident at today's hearing. Specifically, he cited the fact that the judge did not even satisfy the defense's questions related to the archbishop's fundamental rights. Zohrabyan noted that the defense will certainly take appropriate steps regarding these obvious violations, but they are currently awaiting a final verdict.