US citizen arrested in Armenia for participating in opposition rallies
Noyan Tapan news agency
23 Apr 04
YEREVAN
US citizen Artur Vardanyan was arrested on 22 April on suspicion of
committing crimes under Article 300 (misappropriation of state power)
and Article 329 (illegal crossing of the state border) of the Armenian
Criminal Code.
According to a report received from the press service of the Armenian
Prosecutor-General’s Office on 23 April, “the active participant in
rallies, Vardanyan” was summoned to the Prosecutor-General’s Office on
22 April as a witness to testify about insults against representatives
of the authorities, as well as about public calls and actions directed
at the forcible seizure of state and constitutional power.
During the interrogation, it was discovered that Vardanyan, who has
been living in the USA since 1991 and has been a citizen of that
country since 2002, illegally crossed the state border several times,
using an Armenian passport. On 11 April, he arrived in Yerevan again,
“actively participated in opposition rallies and actions directed at
the forcible seizure of state power”. The Prosecutor-General’s Office
has informed the Armenian Foreign Ministry about these facts.