FOUR MPS DEPRIVED OF IMMUNITY
Vasak Tarposhyan

Hayots Ashkhar
March 05, 2008

Two – Arrested And Two – Escaped

During the extraordinary session of the National Assembly yesterday the
parliament approved the petition submitted by the Prosecutor General to
render guilty MPs Hakob Hakobyan, Myasnik Malkhasyan, Sasun Mikaelyan
and Khachatur Sukiasyan and to use arrest as a precautionary measure.

At the beginning of the session Speaker of the National Assembly Tigran
Torosyan informed the MPs that according to the prescribed manner
they have already sent notices to all the four before mentioned MPs.

– Hakob Hakobyan and Myasnik Malkhasyan, who are arrested at the
moment, have received the notices. M. Malkhasyan expressed desire to
participate in the session. H. Hakobyan refused to participate and
he also refused to give any explanation.

The other two MPs – S. Mikaelyan and Kh. Sukiasyan are "unavailable"
and their family members don’t have any idea about where they
are. However their family members have received and signed the notices.

After the announcement made by Tigran Torosyan, M. Malkhasyan entered
the hall after some period of time Hakob Hakobyan also appeared.

Representing the petition about the four MPs, Prosecutor General
Aghvan Hovsepyan underscored:

– The evidences at hand give enough reasons to state that MPs Myasnik
Malkhasyan, Sasun Mikaelyan, Hakob Hakobyan and Khachatur Sukiasyan had
active and direct participation in the mass disorder, by their public
appeals for violence, provocations and assistance to the assaults,
armed them to organize the mass disorder.

The before mentioned is a good reason to render them guilty for
organizing the mass disorder in the Republic of Armenia from February
20 to March 2, 2008, aimed at taking the power by force. Due to
which the mass disorder was followed by violence, massacre, fires,
annihilation of state and private properties, armed resistance,
use of guns and explosives, murder. Thus the before mentioned MPs
committed acts dangerous for society, envisaged by part 3 of article
225 and part 1 of article 300 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.

The before mentioned MPs must be arrested according to the criminal
case, as we possess enough materials and facts which prove that in
case of being in freedom they will hide from the bodies implementing
the criminal procedure, thus hindering the investigation of the case
in the prejudicial procedure or in the court.

The fact that MPs Sasun Mikaleyan and Khachatur Sukiasyan are hidden
at the moment, in fact, proves the before mentioned. And all the
searching activities have given no results by now.

During the searching activities, on March 3, due to the investigation
of Sasus Mikaelyan’s flat in Arshakunyats 48/1, apt 61 a gun CZ,
N 2063, produced in Czechoslovakia, have been found.

MPs Myasnik Malkhasyan and Hakob Hakobyan have been arrested in the
direct condition of committing criminal acts, but they refuse to give
any testimony.

Besides that the nature and the degree of danger of the their deeds,
as well as many evidences, material evidences, found in the scene of
action, the testimony of the aggrieved and many witnesses, the video
materials showing in detail the whole process, etc. served as bases
to use arrest as a precautionary measure for these MPs.

Based on all these facts, the Prosecutor General of the Republic of
Armenia submitted a petition to render guilty the before mentioned
four MPs and to use arrest as a pretrial measure.

By a closed, secret voting the MPs approved the petition. From the
107 MPs participating in the voting 85 voted for and 22 against
arresting Kh.

Sukiasyan, 84 voted for and 22 against arresting M. Malkhasyan, 86 –
for and 22 – against arresting S. Mikaelyan, and 84 voted for and 20
against arresting H. Hakobyan.