Brother Margaryan and his family.
courts had failed to find Brother Margaryan guilty.
of Lyova Margaryan] is not deemed a crime by existing law,
The prosecutor also alleged that Brother Margaryan had coerced young members of the congregation into
The prosecutor also alleged that Brother Margaryan had coerced young members of the congregation into
refusing military service.
had dictated part of the written statements against Brother Margaryan and had coerced them into signing those statements.
On September 18, 2001, the judge pronounced Margaryan“ not guilty,” stating that there“
was no element of crime” in his activity.
In his opening statement, one of the prosecutors expressed great indignation that the two previous
courts had failed to find Brother Margaryan guilty.
In their written decision, the Court stated:“ This activity[
of Lyova Margaryan] is not deemed a crime by existing law,
and this type of accusation contradicts Article 23 of the Armenian Constitution and Article 9 of the European Convention.”.