Another three ANC activists have been charged

While the dialogue between the coalition and the ANC was suspended until they find out whether it will be possible to change the measure of restraint of 3 arrested activists.

Yesterday while the ANC delegation and the coalition working group were discussing the incident taken place between the ANC activists and police officers for two hours and trying to find out whether it was possible to take measures that would change the status of 3 arrested activists that become a new barrier for the dialogue, charges were brought against another 3 youngsters that participated in the incident, Areg Gevorgyan, Sahak Muradyan and Davit Kiramijyan.
Areg Gevorgyan told “Aravot”, “We were invited to the department of investigating specifically important cases of the main investigation department of the RA police. They tried to obtain evidence from us there as suspects. We refused to give any evidence on the pretext that if the police themselves who are a conflicting party in this case were going to conduct the investigation, it cannot ensure the impartiality of the investigation. And on this pretext we refused to participate in any investigative action.” Charges against three activists were brought, according to items 1 and 2 of paragraph 3 of article 258 of the Criminal Code, hooliganism that “was conducted by a group of people or by an organized group that was accompanied by resisting a government representative or a person conducting a duty of protecting the public order or stopping the violation of the public order, was conducted by a person who has previously conducted hooliganism accompanied by doing medium harm to person’s health, is punished by correctional work for 1-2 years or by imprisonment for 5 years at most.” The measure of restraint of Areg Gevorgyan, Sahak Muradyan and Davit Kiramijyan was release on their own recognizance. Areg Gevorgyan also informed us, “Taking into account my injuries, I have gotten a referral from the forensic doctor to visit a neurologist with symptoms of a brain concussion.”
Presenting their joint message to the journalists that “An agreement has been reached to continue discussions on Friday”, ANC coordinator Levon Zurabyan emphasized, “It is a preliminary agreement.” It can be concluded that the fate of the August 19 meeting will greatly depend on what the appellate court will decide on changing the measure of restraint of arrested Tigran Arakelyan, Sargis Gevorgyan and Artak Karapetyan. There counselors applied to the RA appellate court to change the measure of restraint of Tigran Arakelyan and Artak Karapetyan with a bail and applied with a petition to change the decision of arresting Sargis Karapetyan and to release him.
7 activists of the ANC spread a statement yesterday, in which it was said, “We were informed while being in the pre-trial prison that many NGOs have condemned the violence used by the police against us and have offered their support to us.” An exception was “Sardarapat” group, which although “supported” us, the Congress activists, but did not avoid making disrespectful statements about Congress along with that. I.e. formally giving their support, Sefilyan and his milieu tried to keep discussing us and to drive a wedge between the young wing of the ANC and its leadership. In this regard, we want to state the following; they are cowards and obsequious persons who remember about courage only during interviews and in statements and it is not random that people gathered around such people do not exceed ten, which is the best proof of the above-said. The previous experience has shown that at any tense moment, nobody sees either Zhirayr Sefilyan or his “revolutionary” friends at the scene, near the police station, in front of the court buildings, or in a situation, when there is a slim possibility of being treated violently. However, they are consistent in one thing – always at the most tense political situations whether on the eve of rallies or during such incidents to stab the Congress in the back.” Let us remind that Zhirayr Sefilyan is the coordinator of also Congress member “Movement of the Armenian Volunteers” socio-political initiative.