Judge Manvel Shahverdyan takes over case of Pashinyan's son

The kidnapping lawsuit filed by Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan's son, Ashot Pashinyan, against Gayane Hakobyan (Azgush Martirosyan on her passport), the mother of fallen soldier Zhora Martirosyan, has been assigned to judge Manvel Shahverdyan, according to data on DataLex seen by Panorama.am.

The judge has a low rating on the Help Court website.

The Shengavit District Court of General Jurisdiction in Yerevan approved the woman’s pre-trial detention for one month on 20 May after she was charged with attempting to “kidnap” Ashot Pashinyan. The decision sparked anti-government protests in the Armenian capital.

At a news conference on Monday, her lawyers stated the preliminary probe into the case had been carried out in just a few days.