The court is examining whether a detained lawyer can be summoned to represent his client during trial.
In the case linked to the "Sacred Struggle" movement, defendant Armen Alexanyan has demanded that his chosen counsel, Alexander Kochubayev—currently in custody—be allowed to appear in court.
Alexanyan stated that he entrusted his legal defense to Kochubayev and refuses representation by a public defender, reports Factor.am .
Ruben Melikyan, the lawyer representing another defendant in the case, noted that Armenia’s Criminal Procedure Code does not prohibit a detained lawyer from attending court, similar to other detained defendants.
Defense attorney Liparit Simonyan also emphasized that every defendant holds the exclusive right to choose their own legal representative and must be defended accordingly.
In response, public prosecutors admitted they were unclear on the legal procedure for satisfying this request but noted that if Kochubayev's appearance proves impossible, they would have to seek appointment of a public defender.
The court decided to contact the public defender’s office while clarifying that Kochubayev is not being removed from the case proceedings.
Alexander Kochubayev was charged and detained for two months over an offensive Facebook post.
