Armenian Court leaves Gevorg Safaryan in custody

The Armenian Court of Appeal has dismissed the appeal against the arrest of Gevorg Safaryan, a member of the "Constituent Parliament", filed by his defender. The activist is accused of the use of violence against a public officer.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that Gevorg Safaryan was arrested at night on December 31 after he entered the conflict with the police in Freedom Square. On January 3, the court arrested him for two months. The activist's advocate has filed an appeal to the General Prosecutor's Office with a motion to change the pre-trial restriction measure for his client.

The court has dismissed the appeal, reports advocate Tigran Airapetyan. According to him, "the court has unreasonably refused to change the pre-trial restriction measure."

"Armenia has undertaken the international obligations, and, in particular, it has signed the convention, according to which the arrest as a pre-trial restriction measure may be applied only in extreme cases," the advocate has noted. He has also added that he will file a cassation.

The court's decision was pronounced against the background of the protest actions held with the demand to release Gevorg Safaryan. On January 22, Yerevan hosted a march demanding to release the activist.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.