Armenia: court leaves Tigran Petrosyan behind bars

Today, a court in Yerevan that is considering the case of Shant Arutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party, and other participants of the "Million Mask March" on November 5, 2013, accused of hooliganism, has decided to leave Tigran Petrosyan, one of the defendants, in custody, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The "Millions Mask March" was held in Yerevan on November 5, 2013. After the marchers launched a confrontation with the police, the organizer Shant Arutyunyan and 19 other marchers were detained. Later, 14 of them were charged with resisting the authorities with the use of violence. On March 31 it became known that the charge was changed from resisting the authorities into hooliganism; and on May 21 the case was sent to the court.

At today's session the defence of Tigran Petrosyan, who is kept under arrest for the eighth month, filed a motion for his release on bail, said Ara Zakaryan, his advocate.

"The European Convention, where Armenia is a party, says that an accusation of a medium gravity offence is not enough for keeping a suspect under arrest," said the lawyer, adding that the reason for earlier extension of custody – a possible impact on the investigation and witnesses – is groundless, since all the investigatory actions are over; and all the witnesses have been questioned.

Nevertheless, the prosecutor has opposed Zakaryan's motion.