Interfax News Agency, Russia
May 27 2008
March rioter gets a year in jail in Yerevan
YEREVAN May 27
The Yerevan Inter-District Court has sentenced to a year in jail
Sogomon Yeritsian, an opposition activist who participated in the
March riots in Yerevan.
Yeritsian was found guilty — under Article 316, part 1 of the
Armenian criminal code – of using violence against a representative of
the authorities, Alina Yengoyan, press secretary of the Armenian Court
of Appeals, told Interfax-AVN.
The court replaced the actual jail sentence with a 1.5-year suspended
sentence.
"Some 52 people were in custody as of May 26 in relation to the March
1st riots in Yerevan," Armenian Prosecutor General’s press secretary
Sona Truzian said.
A total of 54 criminal cases involving 54 people have been filed with
the courts, she said. Nine people have been sentenced to various terms
of imprisonment, 14 people have received suspended sentences. Some 37
defendants had to sign affidavits pledging not to leave their town of
residence.
Following the presidential election of February 19, the Armenian
opposition headed by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian rejected the
official election results and organized large-scale protest actions.
On March 1, the opposition clashed with police. Ten people were killed
and more than 250 were wounded.