ALEXANDER ARZUMANIAN, SUREN SIRUNIAN, MYASNIK MALKHASIAN AND HAKOB HAKOBIAN RELEASED, AND SASUN MIKAYELIAN SENTENCED TO 8 YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT
Noyan Tapan
22.06.2009
By the June 22 judgement of Yerevan Kentron and Nork-Marash communities
general jurisdiction court, former RA Foreign Minister Alexander
Arzumanian and Suren Sirunian were sentenced to 5 and 4 years’
imprisonment, respectively. However, by the use of the RA NA June
19 decision on granting an amnesty they got free of serving their
punishment and were released at the court hall. At the same time the
court found them guilty of the charge brought to them, organization
of mass disorders (part 1, Article 225, RA Criminal Code).
The judgement can be appealed at the Criminal Appeal Court in a month’s
term. After being released, at short press briefings with journalists
at the court hall A. Arzumanian and S. Sirunian stated that they will
appeal against the judgement without fail. S. Sirunian also said:
"We were against the amnesty, we had committed no crime, for which
they were to forgive us."
The decision on amnesty was also used on two more cases at the
same court.
NA deputy Hakob Hakobian sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment by the
judgement got free of serving his punishment by being found guilty on
part 1, Article 225, RA Criminal Code. NA deputy Myasnik Malkhasian
was sentenced to 5 years’ imprisonment on the charge of organizing
mass disorders and by part 2, Article 38-316 of assisting use of
violence to a power representative dangerous for his life and health,
was acquitted and and got free of serving punishment. The deputies
were set free at the court hall.
No amnesty was used to NA deputy Sasun Mikayelian, as Kotayk region
general jurisdiction court found him guilty on part 2, Article 235,
RA Criminal Code (keeping illegal arms, ammunition by a group of
people by a preliminary agreement), and that article was not subject
to amnesty. S. Mikayelian was also found guilty of organizing
mass disorders (part 1, Article 225) Finally the court sentenced
S. Mikayelian to 8 years’ imprisonment.