Court rejects petition for Tigran Arakelian’s release

The Appeal Court of Armenia has rejected a petition to change the measure of restraint against activist of Armenian National Congress (HAK) Tigran Arakelian and release him. The petition had been filed by lawyer Mushegh Shushanian.

A scuffle took place between seven activists of HAK and policemen on August 9, 2011, following which the activists were detained. In particular, Tigran Arakelian was charged under Article 258 (hooliganism) of the Criminal Code. On July 20, 2012, Judge Gagik Poghosian pronounced a sentence on the HAK activists’ case in the court of general jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts in Yerevan. Tigran Arakelian received 6 years in jail, Sargis Gevorgian and David Kiramijian – two years each. Yet another HAK activist , Artak Karapetian, received three years in prison. On November 13, 2012, the Appeal Court of Armenia chaired by Judge Armen Denielian left the court sentence unchanged.

On May 8, 2013 the Cassation Court of Armenia partly sustained the claim of the lawyers of HAK activists Vahe Grigorian and Stepan Voskanian and sent the case to the Appeal Court for a review.