CHARGES AGAINST EX-ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTER, OTHER OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS MITIGATED

Interfax
April 1 2009
Russia

The charges brought against a former foreign minister of Armenia,
three parliamentarians, and a number of opposition activists, who have
been accused of involvement in mass disorder in Yerevan on March 1,
2008, have been mitigated, taking into account amendments made to
the Armenian Criminal Code, Sonya Truzian, a press secretary of the
Armenian prosecutor general, told Interfax on Wednesday.

In particular, the charges of ‘seizure of power’ and ‘organization of
mass disorder combined with homicide’ against former Foreign Minister
Alexander Arzumanian have been dropped and replaced by ‘organization
of mass disorder’.

Parliamentarian Sasun Mikaelian, who was earlier accused of ‘seizure
of power’, is now being accused of ‘illegal acquisition and storage
of weapons and ammunition’.

Criminal prosecution of the other opposition activists has been
dropped on some counts, and other charges brought against them have
been mitigated.

The so-called ‘trial of the seven’ was opened in December 2008 and
has been postponed more than 20 times since then.

The Armenian opposition led by former President Levon Ter-Petrosian
refused to recognize the official results of the February 19, 2008
presidential elections and organized mass protests, which grew into
clashes with police on March 1, in which ten people were killed and
over 250 injured.
From: Baghdasarian