"Zhoghovurd" daily writes:
"NA member of parliament Hayk Sargsyan, who became famous for holding Nikol Pashinyan's revolutionary water bottle, is not only an "offended citizen", but also a member of the government who, instead of denying what was published or proving with facts the violation of his "honor and dignity", chose a more convenient way to try to punish the mass media through the court.
And it is unfortunate that the behavior of Artur Aghamalyan, the judge of the Gavar seat, gives the impression that the court is ready to fulfill that political order. According to lawyer Garik Sahakyan, on 12.11.2025, during the preliminary court session in Gavar court, what was discussed was the relevance and admissibility of the evidence presented by the parties to the case. According to the law, the court should first assess the relevance and admissibility of the evidence presented by the plaintiff, in this case Hayk Sargsyan, and then only proceed to the materials of the defendant company.
Instead, the judge inexplicably bypassed this procedure and without hearing the position of us, the defendant of "Zhoghovurd" daily, on the evidence, he immediately allowed the plaintiff's representative to interpret the written evidence justifying the circumstances underlying our objection. This is not a technical error, but a clear violation of the equality of the parties. Lawyer Sahakyan immediately pointed out the gross procedural error in the court, openly expressed his indignation towards the judge, noting the illegality of the action and the apparent constraint of the judge in this case.
This was followed by a motion to postpone the session, with the aim of submitting a reasoned challenge motion to the judge examining the case on 15.12.2025. Of course, we are far from the idea that the judge "slipped" in favor of the representative of the government, so we will defend our rights with all legal mechanisms. In the near future, we will take a detailed look at the circumstances of the new judge Artur Aghamalyan's becoming a judge, the way he passed and thereby show the true picture of his impartiality.
The RA Supreme Judicial Council, as the number one guarantor of the independence of the courts, is obliged to carefully study this case, because the judge obviously cannot shake off his dependence on the government. And the bottle-grabbing Hayk Sargsyan, who received a severe reprimand within his own party and the threat of removal hangs over his head like a sword of Damocles, should remember that flying out of power is a matter of minutes, and the fate of Hovik Aghazaryan is not far from him, and the SMSs are even more shameful, as described by his CP colleagues. Continued."
Details in today's issue of "Zhoghovurd" daily.
