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Araks Mamulyan

Yerevan: Protest Activist Tigran Mazmanyan Gets Two Months in Jail

An Armenian court has sustained the suit brought by the Special Investigative Service investigator on the arrest of Tigran Mazmanyan, a civil activist.

Mazmanyan was sentenced to a two-month imprisonment.

The information was provided to Hetq by Mazmanyan's attorney Robert Revazyan.

Mazmanyan was arrested on the morning of April 17 on suspicion of committing the acts envisaged by Article 225 § 2 of the Criminal Code and Article 225, that is, implementation of mass disorder, accompanied with violence, pogroms, arson, destruction or damage to property, using fire-arms, explosives or explosive devices, or an armed resistance to the representative of the authorities, as well as the organization and conduct of rallies in violation of the procedure established by law.

However, Mazmanyan was charged only under Article 225 § 2. The activist's accusation concerns the April 14 entry into the Public Radio building.

Demonstrations against Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan started in Yerevan on April 13.

On April 14, Nikol Pashinyan, who's spearheading the protests, and a group of citizens entered the Public Radio of Armenia building. They repeatedly suggested that the radio directors allow them to broadcast live, but the latter responded that there was no such opportunity at the moment and offered to broadcast later. During the events, the Public Radio's door was broken. A criminal case has been initiated over the incident.

Mazmanyan's attorney, Robert Revazyan, told Hetq that he did not deny that Tigran Mazmanyan was in the Public Radio building, but, according to the lawyer, the activist did not commit any unlawful acts. According to Revazyan, the incidents in general fall under the characterization of mass disorder, but even under such a qualification, the law defines specific actions that can be attributed to a person under Article 225, Part 2 of the Criminal Code.

In particular, the second part of Article 225 of the Criminal Code is defined as follows: “Immediate implementation of actions defined by part one of the Article, that is mass disorder, accompanied with violence, pogroms, arson, destruction or damage to property, using fire-arms, explosives or explosive devices, or an armed resistance to the representative of the authorities.” In other words, the investigating authority must present proof that Mazmanyan has committed any or all of the abovementioned acts.

Photo from Tigran Mazmanyan’s Facebook page

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