In Yerevan, court leaves Vaan Shirkhanyan under arrest

Vaan Shirkhanyan, the former Deputy Defence Minister of Armenia, remains under arrest. The court has dismissed the defence's motion to change the pre-trial restriction measure.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that in December 2015, Vaan Shirkhanyan was detained during the investigation into the case against the armed grouping led by Arthur Vardanyan. Vaan Shirkhanyan pleads not guilty.

At a court hearing held on September 1, Hayk Alumyan, an advocate of the former Deputy Defence Minister of Armenia, filed a motion to review the pre-trial restriction measure against his client or to release him on bail.

According to the advocate, initially, there were no grounds for the Vaan Shirkhanyan's arrest. The defender has also asked the court to take into account his client's age and health state.

However, the judge has pronounced the decision to dismiss the motion and noted it is groundless, the "News.am" reports.

According to the "Sputnik Armenia", the charges in the case have been brought against Vaan Shirkhanyan and Arthur Vardanyan. Besides, the prisoners' dock contains 18 more defendants in the case. They are charged with organizing an armed grouping and involvement in it. According to investigators, the members of the armed grouping planned to attack the buildings of the National Assembly, the presidential residence, the Constitutional Court, and the Public TV Channel.

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