Judge who ordered Armen Grigoryan’s arrest quits Union of Judges

Judge Arusyak Aleksanyan of a fist instance court in Yerevan, who ordered the arrest of film producer Armen Grigoryan, has decided to quit the Union of Judges, its spokeswoman Elen Arakelyan confirmed to Panorama.am on Thursday.

"Arusyak Aleksanyan submitted an application to terminate her membership this afternoon. The application gives no reasons," she noted.

Armen Grigoryan collapsed and died during his trial in Yerevan on July 15 nearly two months after being arrested on charges of “inciting ethnic, racial or religious hatred” under Article 226 of the Criminal Code.

Grigoryan, who was critical of Armenia's government, rejected the accusations as politically motivated.