Epress.am News from Armenia
Hovhannes Ghazaryan, a supporter of the Founding Parliament anti-government movement who was arrested last July and charged with arson, destruction or damage of property, use of firearms, and armed resistance to the authorities, has been released from detention, the Helsinki Citizens Assembly Vanadzor office (HCAV) reports.
According to the HCAV statement, the Criminal Appeal Court in Yerevan today overturned a January 23 lower court decision to extend Ghazaryan’s detention period for two more months and set him free right in the courtroom.
“Ghazaryan did not commit any crime; he simply exercised his right to participation in rallies, and no one was hurt as a result of his actions. Moreover, he was charged solely on the basis of police testimony, without any actual evidence,” HCAV said.
Recall, on July 29, 2016, hundreds of people, including Ghazaryan, organized a march in Yerevan’s Sari Tagh neighborhood in support of the Founding Parliament-affiliated armed group occupying a nearby police station. Later that night, riot police used tear gas and stun grenades to disperse the demonstrators, and over 40 people, including journalists, were seriously injured in the ensuing clashes between the police and the protesters.