Former Presidential Candidate Convicted of Attempted Murder

YEREVAN (A.W.)–On Sept. 23, 3 men, including former presidential candidate Vartan Sedrakian, were sentenced to 14 years in jail for the attempted murder of another ex-presidential candidate, Paruyr Hayrikian.

Hayrikian, the leader of Armenia’s Union of National Self-Determination Party, was shot on Jan. 31, 2013, days before the presidential elections in Armenia. His injuries were not fatal, and he survived the attack.

In March, Sedrakian was charged and arrested for ordering and planning the attack. The two other men, Khachatur Poghosian (the alleged gunman) and Samvel Harutunian, were detained in February and charged with the actual shooting. They’ve been sentenced to 14 and 12 years in jail, respectively.

Sedrakian, according to his lawyer, maintains he’s innocent and is considering appealing to the France-based Strasbourg European Court of Human Rights, which is considered a U.S.-style supreme court. He claims that the judicial authorities and the prosecutors never identified his intention, and that the two other men withdrew their confessions. Sedrakian had earlier conceded that the two once worked for him as house painters, and that they had expressed fear over being involved in a crime.

According to the Aysor paper, Hayrikian does not believe Sedrakian was behind the assassination attempt. News.am reports that Hayrikian was disinterested in the court’s verdict, as he believed the court was not adamant in revealing the main architect behind his assassination attempt.

Hayrikian was shot shortly before midnight on Thurs., Jan. 31, on Tpagrichneri Avenue. At 11:55 p.m., he was admitted to St. Gregory the Illuminator Hospital with a gunshot wound to his right clavicle, where he recuperated in the intensive care unit after undergoing surgery.

Some officials claim that the $50,000 Hayrikian reportedly received for his contribution to Armenia’s independence was actually intended to treat his wounds.

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