Epress.am News from Armenia
Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs border police have arrested Russian citizen of Armenian descent Armen Gasparyan, who is accused of bypassing the Armenia-Georgia border checkpoint on Jan. 14.
Criminal charges specified under the article “illegally crossing the state border” have been launched against the Bryansk resident. If convicted, Gasparyan faces a fine or 3–5 year’s imprisonment, reports Novosti Gruziya (“News Georgia”).
Note, on Jan. 11, Georgian border guards arrested Azerbaijan citizen Ilgar Huseynov who entered Abkhazia from Tbilisi through an unrecognized checkpoint. According to the Georgian “Law on Occupied Territories,” Tbilisi prohibits entry to Abkhazia and South Ossetia from Russia.
In 2009, Russian citizen Ruben Hovhannisyan, who was going to Armenia through Georgia, was detained for breaking this law. He was sentenced to two years in prison, but was released early, after serving two months of his sentence.