Armenia: court leaves Ovannisyan and Petrosyan, participants of "Million Mask March", under arrest

Today, in Yerevan, the first-instance court has rejected the petition lodged by the advocate Ara Zakaryan on changing the freedom restrain measure of his clients – Armen Ovannisyan and Tigran Petrosyan, participants of the protest action named "Million Mask March", who had been accused of hooliganism, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 5, 2013, Yerevan hosted the "Million Mask March". After the protesters entered into a confrontation with the police, Shant Arutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party, and 19 other protesters were detained. Of them, 14 persons were then charged with resisting law enforcers with use of violence. On March 31, the charge was changed to the article on disorderly conduct.

The advocate Inessa Petrosyan said about the today's court ruling that the trial is a political order, because the charges presented to Armen Ovannisyan and Tigran Petrosyan are of moderate severity; and, thus, there is no reason to keep them in custody.

Ara Zakaryan told in his comment to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that the prosecutor, despite the requirement of the law, gave no reasons and justifications on why the advocates' petitions were protested against.

"He gave no reasons and justifications, because he hasn't any," said the lawyer.

Zakaryan has also noted that the judge's ruling on submitted petitions was predictable; but the defence had to lodge them, to be able to take further steps, in particular, appeal to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR).

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