YEREVAN (Noyan Tapan)–Former Chairman of the State Television & Radio Committee Samvel Gevorgian–a witness in the Ter-Sahakian trial–testified in court on September 16.
Gevorgian said he had known nothing about Ter-Sahakian group members guarding the building of the State Television & Radio Committee. He well remembered only Armen Ter-Sahakian–who was his driver. The defendants–in turn–unanimously alleged that they had been assigned to guard the State Television & Radio Committee building by Deputy Chief of the Internal Troops Department Artsrun Margarian and that they had not introduced themselves to the State Television & Radio Committee Chairman personally. Only defendant Arshak Shukhian reminded those present of the fact that he and two other members of the group had been Gevorgian’s personal bodyguards. "Why don’t you confess that the group reported directly to Gevorgian and some other members of the Armenian National Movement," the defendant queried rhetorically.
Answering questions asked by attorneys–Samvel Gevorgian said that he was Armen Ter-Sahakian’s godfather at his wedding party and his children’s godfather when they were christened. Then interior minister Vano Siradeghian was present at the children’s christening party.
Former Interior Ministry aide Tatul Safarian confirmed that three members of the Ter-Sahakian group arrested by Mashtots Interior Department officials had been brought to the Interior Ministry in his car. The witness could not remember on whose instructions that "mechanical mission" had been accomplished–but he well remembered that it wasn’t the interior minister. He denied the testimony by Mashtots Interior Department Head Davit Kharatian that the aide had pointed to the interior minister. The court satisfied the petition of the counsel for the prosecution to interrogate the Head of the Mashtots Interior Department in the presence of the witness.