FOUR CASES ON MARCH 1 UNREST SENT TO COURT
ARKA
April 15, 2008
YEREVAN, April 15. /ARKA/. Four criminal cases in connection with
the March 1Yerevan unrest have been sent to court, Press Officer of
the RA Office of Prosecutor General reported.
>From February 20 to March 1, Armenia’s opposition political forces
led by ex-president Levon Ter-Petrosyan were holding rallies in
Liberty Square in Yerevan protesting against the results of February
19 presidential elections attributing victory to Serge Sargssyan. As
a result of public unrest and clashes between the rally participants
and the police, 265 people were injured, and ten were killed.
The Office of Prosecutor General instituted a criminal case in
connection with the mass unrest aimed at seizing the power and breaking
the constitutional order. Over a hundred people were arrested.
"Pre-trial investigation on cases instituted against four people
charged with organizing and provoking mass disturbances in Yerevan
is over. These are Soghomon Yeritsyan, Harutyun Lazarian, Yasha
Melkonyan, and Hovhannes Mkhoyan. These cases have been sent to court
now," Truzyan said.
So far, criminal cases against 20 people have been sent to court.
Investigation on three of them – David Hambartsumyan, Mesrop Zakaryan,
and Raj Petrossyan – is over. They pleaded guilty and asked for an
accelerated trial.
Truzyan also said 78 people are currently under arrest. 16 people were
given a written cognizance not to leave. Three people were detained
on suspicion of direct participation in mass unrest.