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.