NINETEEN ACCUSED IN ARMENIAN RIOT GO ON HUNGER STRIKE

Interfax News Agency
June 16 2008
Russia

Defendants in the case of the March 1 riots in Armenia’s Yerevan
launched a hunger strike on Monday.

According to Justice Ministry spokesman Arsen Babayan, 19 defendants
have launched a hunger strike in protest against the indictment.

The co-reporters of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of
Europe’s Monitoring Committee, George Colombier and John Prescott,
are expected to meet with relatives of the defendants in Yerevan
on Tuesday.

After the February 19 presidential elections, the opposition, led by
ex-President Levon Ter-Petrosyan, rejected official voting results
and launched large-scale protests that ended in clashes with police
on March 1. As a result, ten people were killed and more than 250
sustained injuries.

A total of 115 people were arrested in connection with the riots,
Armenia’s Prosecutor General Agvan Ovsepyan said on Monday.

"At present, 17 defendants are in custody and 78 criminal cases
against 88 persons are in courts. As of June 16, 35 people have been
convicted, of whom 15 got prison terms of up to 5 years, 35 were placed
on probation, 3 were acquitted, and 64 pleaded guilty and testified,"
Ovsepyan said.
From: Baghdasarian