Vardan Ghukasyan denied release from pretrial detention
The defense of arrested Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan failed to secure a review of his pretrial detention.
As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," in early November, Ghukasyan was transferred from the Yerevan-Kentron penitentiary institution to the "Srub Grigor Lusavorich" medical center, where he underwent a coronary angiography. The day after his hospitalization, penitentiary officers took Ghukasyan from the hospital and took him back to his cell, prompting the defenseto claim that Vardan Ghukasyan had been denied medical care. On January 9, he was hospitalized from the pretrial detention center, and on January 17, he was returned to the pretrial detention center.
In October, a Yerevan court remanded Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan in custody for two months on bribery charges. The opposition politician denied the charges, and his lawyer called the case fabricated. After his arrest, he was also accused of publicly calling for the renunciation of Armenia's sovereignty. Ghukasyan's powers have been suspended since the day of his arrest.
On April 20, the court considered Vardan Ghukasyan's defense's motion to reconsider his pretrial detention. The Gyumri mayor's lawyers requested a mitigation of the pretrial detention measure and Ghukasyan's release from custody, but the court rejected the motion, the Novosti-Armenia news agency reported.
The defense requested that Vardan Ghukasyan be released under house arrest, clarified the politician's lawyer, Aramayis Hayarpetyan. He suggested that the court rejected the motion due to the "political overtones" of the case, Arminfo reports.
During the hearing, the lawyers cited Ghukasyan's health condition and presented the court with medical certificates and expert opinions. Vardan Ghukasyan himself, leaving the courtroom after the hearing, told reporters that he "expected nothing else," the Chronicles of Armenia channel noted. "Caucasian Knot" also reported that at the end of November, Vardan Ghukasyan's son, Spartak Ghukasyan, was arrested on charges of hooliganism. On December 6, the elder Ghukasyan's defense team filed a complaint with the prosecutor's office and the ombudsman regarding politically motivated intimidation of the politician's relatives. That day, security forces searched Vardan Ghukasyan's apartment, confiscating the cell phones of his wife, daughter, and two granddaughters.
Along with Vardan Ghukasyan, seven other city hall employees were detained on October 20. Searches of the city administration building were accompanied by a protest by hundreds of residents who came to support the mayor. The protests escalated into clashes with security forces and attempts by those gathered to prevent Ghukasyan's arrest. More than 40 people were detained in connection with the riots. On December 5, it became known that Gyumri Vice Mayor Avetis Arakelyan, who became acting mayor after Ghukasyan's arrest, and another official were detained in connection with the riots.