In Armenia, court leaves head of Ter-Petrosyan's pre-election staff under arrest

Today, the first-instance court of the Yerevan community Kentron-Nork-Marash has ruled to extend by two months the custody term of Alexander Arzumanyan, ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and head of the pre-election office of Ter-Petrosyan.

We remind you that Alexander Arzumanyan was arrested on March 10 and charged under Article 300 of the Criminal Code - "Attempt of power usurpation".

On the same day, the Criminal Appeal Court of Armenia upheld the decision of the general-instance court of Yerevan communities Kentron and Nork-Marash to extend by another month the arrest of Aram Karapetyan, Chairman the "New Times" Party.

Aram Karapetyan's appeal was considered in his absence. We remind you that he was arrested on February 24 and charged under Article 333.2 - "False denunciation".

Making his comments on court decisions, Armand Musinyan, press-secretary of Levon Ter-Petrosyan's pre-election office, told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that, despite of the appeals of the international community contained in the Resolution of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe to release political prisoners, the Armenian authorities have done nothing so far to this end. He has noted: on the opposite - arrests and violent deliveries to police continue.