The legal team of former Armenian Defense Minister David Tonoyan has issued a statement, in which it is said: “We continue to insist that David Tonoyan is being held in custody in a discriminatory manner. In addition to the closed-door nature of the court hearings, the holding of those hearings once every two months has also been added due to various technical reasons.
Moreover, the next court hearing has been scheduled for May 2, 2022. In effect, the court has been rendered inactive for 3 months. We assess this as psychological torture and the imposition of punishment on detained persons, regarding which D. Tonoyan has also declared in the RA Court of Appeals, while simultaneously demanding a public hearing.
To the question of the presiding judge Mnatsakan Harutyunyan, as to what, in his opinion, is the purpose of holding the court hearings behind closed doors, David Tonoyan answered: so that the public does not see the emptiness of the charges brought.
D. Tonoyan also declared in the Court of Appeals that he made the right decision regarding the acquisition of missiles, which at that stage contributed to the enhancement of the capabilities of the RA armed forces, the vivid proof of which is that, contrary to the statements that the acquired missiles were allegedly not used during the 44-day war and in the course of training exercises, the evidence obtained in the criminal case has established and substantiated the opposite.
Another important circumstance, which is a real threat to the replenishment and combat readiness enhancement of the RA Armed Forces: no corresponding steps are being taken to ensure the further operation of the ammunition in question, to ensure measures for its maintenance, since a ban has been placed on the operation of the ammunition.”
