Yerevan court leaves Karabakh War veteran Volodya Avetisyan in custody

The court of first instance of general jurisdiction of the administrative districts of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeitun has upheld the pre-trial restriction measure in the form of arrest against Volodya Avetisyan, a veteran of the Karabakh War. The court session was opened against the background of protest action organized by supporters of Volodya Avetisyan. They continued to protest in the courtroom. This was reported by the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Let us remind you that Volodya Avetisyan, an active participant in the protests of Karabakh War veterans, was detained on September 20, 2013. The Karabakh War veteran is suspected of the fact that he had received 2000 US dollars from an official of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia under pretence of helping to exempt a relative of an Armenian citizen from compulsory military service.

Advocate Ara Zakaryan has claimed there is no fair trial in Armenia. According to the advocate, for the third time, the court makes a decision on changing the pre-trial restriction measure against Volodya Avetisyan, and all three motivations conflict with each other.

He has also noted that the court has failed to consider the fact that Volodya Avetisyan is characterized solely on the positive side. He took part in battles in Nagorno-Karabakh, and he received numerous awards for his military achievements. Moreover, according to the advocate, Volodya Avetisyan takes care of three minor children, and he faces health problems.

See earlier reports: "Rally in Yerevan demands from authorities to release political prisoners", "Armenia sets up fund to help political prisoners' families", "Yerevan: veterans of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict demand to legalize the status of volunteers".