MEMBER OF LEVON TER-PETROSIAN’S KAPAN PREELECTION HEADQUARTERS SENTENCED TO ONE YEAR’S SUSPENDED IMPRISONMENT

Noyan Tapan
March 27, 2008

KAPAN, MARCH 27, NOYAN TAPAN. By the March 26 decision of the Syunik
court of general jurisdiction, 53-year-old Rafael Asrian was sentenced
to one year’s suspended imprisonment with one year’s probation period
and was released from the court hall. When making the decision the
court took into consideration the fact that the defendant admitted
his fault and repented, he is a participant of Artsakh liberation
struggle (he was the Commander of Kapan battalion), takes care of
his under-age child and has no previous convictions.

According to the materials of the case, 23 bullets were confiscated
during the February 26 search conducted in R. Asrian’s house and an
accusation on part 1, Article 235, RA Criminal Code, was brought to
him, getting and keeping of illegal ammunition.

It should be mentioned that R. Asrian is a member of former RA
presidential candidate Levon Ter-Petrosian’s preelection headquarters,
he took part in the rallies organized by the latter. According to
Arshavir Khalapian, R. Asrian’s lawyer, indeed the cause of institution
of the criminal case was political.