Yerevan court decides to hold hearing in case against fallen soldier's mother in private

The Yerevan Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction decided to hold a hearing in the case against Gayane Hakobyan, whose son Zhora Martirosyan was killed in the 2020 Artsakh war, behind closed doors on Friday.

The woman was charged with attempting to “kidnap” the Armenian prime minister's son, Ashot Pashinyan, after her detention on 17 May. Hakobyan was moved to house arrest and taken back into custody shortly after she went on trial on Monday.

Speaking to reporters, one of her lawyers said the court decision to hold the hearing in private was unexpected.

"A regular court hearing is set for today. We have to file a motion to recuse the judge, as well as three other motions. However, the decision to hold a private hearing came as a surprise to me. This decision has yet to be presented to the parties and approved," the lawyer said.