Prosecutor's demand to sentence Shagen Arutyunyan to 5 years in prison is possible with society's silence, teenager's mother claims

The prosecutor's request to sentence a minor Shagen Arutyunyan to five years of deprivation of liberty has become possible only because the society puts up with this situation, the mother of the accused teenager believes. According to Shagen himself, the prosecutor sees the crime in the fact that he was defending his father from being beaten by policemen.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on November 5, 2013, in Yerevan, during the "Millions Mask March", protestors clashed with the police. According to the authorities, during the riots, eight policemen and a teenager were injured, and 37 persons were detained, including Shant Arutyunyan. The prisoners' dock in the case contains 14 activists, including Shagen Arutyunyan, a 15-year-old son of Shant Arutyunyan.

Shagen Arutyunyan is charged with "hooliganism", and he is under recognizance not to leave.

Shagen Arutyunyan himself admitted that on November 5, 2013, he took part in the protest action and that was close to his father. According to the teenager, the policemen threw his father to the pavement and beat him, and he was trying to help his father and used a loud-speaker to hit one of law enforcers.

It should be noted that after the prosecutor requested the form of penalty, Armenian activists established the initiative group in support of Shagen Arutyunyan. The action in his defence is scheduled for September 14.