ArmInfo. On August 12, at a court session, prosecutors made indictments in the case of ten members of the
Prosecutors insist that the defendants, covering up open calls for criminal activity with distorted interpretations of legislation and international norms, tried to justify their armed actions. In addition, under still unclear circumstances, members of the organized group illegally acquired and stored 14 machine guns, 840 pieces of 5.45 mm ammunition and 552 pieces of homemade firearms with 7.62 mm cartridges, as well as grenades, explosives, 58 rifle cartridges. According to the conclusion of the forensic medical examination of the body of Police Colonel Artur Vanoyan, who died during the armed seizure, his death occurred from hemorrhagic and traumatic shock as a result of a penetrating bullet wound through the chest, and Smbat Barseghyan committed the murder.
The prosecutors demanded that the members of the group be found guilty under paragraph 1 of part 3 of article 218 (taking hostages by an organized group), part 3 of article 235 (illegal possession of weapons), paragraphs 1 and 2 of part 4 of article 238 (theft of weapons by an organized group) and paragraphs 1, 2, 3 and 11 of part 2 of article 104 (theft of weapons by an organized group). The prosecutor demanded to sentence Pavlik Manukyan to 9 years in prison, Gagik Yeghiazaryan to 8 years and six months in prison, Areg Kyureghyan to 8 years and 6 months in prison, Varuzhan Avetisyan to 8 years and 9 months, Smbat Barseghyan to life imprisonment, Armen Bilyan – 21 years in prison, Sedrak Nazaryan – 9 years in prison, Edvard Grigoryan – 8 years in prison, Mkhitar Avetisyan – 8 years and 9 months of imprisonment. In relation to Arayik Khandoyan, it was proposed to terminate the criminal prosecution on the basis of his death.
To recall, on July 17, 2016, the group seized the Regiment of the Patrol and Checkpoint Service of the Armenian Police in the administrative district of Erebuni in Yerevan, demanding the release of the coordinator of the Constituent Parliament civil initiative Zhirayr Sefilyan, who is under arrest on charges of illegal acquisition and storage of weapons. The group laid down their arms and surrendered to the authorities on 31 July. All this time, protests were held in the capital in support of the group members. During these events, 3 law enforcement officers were killed, 6 more were injured.