ARMENIAN OPPOSITION LEADER ARRESTED BY COURT FOR TWO MONTHS

Interfax News Agency, Russia
Russia & CIS
February 28, 2008

Leader of the Armenian radical opposition New Times party Aram
Karapetian has been charged with providing false information, the
National Security Service (NSS) told Interfax.

Karapetian, who was detained two days ago, was charged with "providing
false information about a crime in relation to the accusations against
President Robert Kocharian and Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan of
committing very grave crimes (treason and plotting a terror attack),
the NSS said.

A court in Yerevan has accepted a petition from NSS and ordered
a two-month arrest of Karapetian who is known in Armenia as "an
uncoverer of coup plots."

Karapetian’s lawyer Arutiun Bagdasarian told journalists that he was
going to appeal the court’s ruling.

Six people were detained on criminal charges of "attempted power
usurpation," NSS said.

A day earlier charges were brought against Armenian former minister
of state revenues Smbat Aivazian, former deputy prosecutor general
Gagik Jangirian and his brother, as well as Suren Sureniants of the
opposition Republican Party of Armenia. All of them announced their
support for presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian who disputes
the results of the Armenian presidential election held on February 19.