Epress.am News from Armenia
The charges against Belgian national, Yerevan resident Luc Wadewale, who was arrested on Nov. 28, were amended Tuesday. Wadewale was initially charged with RA Criminal Code Article 258 (“hooliganism”) Section 3 Paragraph 1 and 2 (“an act committed by a group or persons or organized group” and “by offering resistance to a representative of the authorities, or a person carrying out a duty of public order protection or a person preventing breach of public order”). His charges have been changed to RA Criminal Code Article 258 Section 3 Paragraph 2 and 5 (“brutal breach of public order combined with exceptional cynicism”). This news was conveyed to Epress.am by Wadewale’s wife, Gayane Vardanyan.
“I am being charged with Article 258 Section 3 Paragraph 1. Testifying against Luc was the vice principal, who initially wrote that he had issued curses of a sexual nature and broke the glass on [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan’s photo, and that there were students present. And when we said that there are no swear words in the French language, they changed the charges and wrote that Luc insulted them while touching his genitalia, which, naturally, didn’t happen,” Vardanyan said.
On Nov. 28, Vardanyan, who is a member of the opposition bloc Armenian National Congress, told Epress.am what happened.
According to her, the couple received a call from their daughter’s classmate’s parent who said that they are collecting 3,000 drams (about $8 USD) each for heating at the school (No. 94). They went to the school to find out why the parents have to pay for the heating.
Vardanyan asserts that consequently, a verbal dispute took place between the vice-principal and several teachers on this matter. At this point, insists Vardanyan, her husband accidentally bumped into a portrait of Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan on the wall that subsequently fell and the glass broke. Afterwards, her husband was detained under charges of hooliganism, then released on Nov. 30.
Vardanyan subsequently informed Epress.am that there is still no heating at the school, and when she called the Ministry of Education to inform them of such, one hour later, the heating was turned on.