Arshaluys was released
Observer from the Helsinki Association Arshaluys Hakobyan was released today.
Prosecutor Hunan Babayan came to the conclusion that the charge against Arshaluys Hakobyan was subject to change. Babayan presented the judge of the Kentron and Nork-Marash districts' first instance court Gagik Avetisyan with the petition to postpone the trial. He also petitioned to change the precautionary measure for Hakobyan-imprisonment-and chose a new measure, that is, a signature to not leave the city.
Judge Gagik Avetisyan approved the petition and the trial was scheduled for November 20 at 10 a.m.
After being deprived of liberty for four and a half months, Arshaluys Hakobyan said the following as he was leaving the courtroom: "The police, police chief and his deputy who took an innocent man to the police station, beat him and spit on him and remain unpunished must be brought to justice and know that everybody is held accountable to the law."
In case of justice, the advocate will be consistent to see that a case be brought up against the police officers.
According to Arshaluys Hakobyan, his arrest was tied to the elections for Yerevan's Council of Elders, his work as a policeman and especially activities in the Helsinki Association.
Let us remind that according to the case materials, on June 5 policeman visited Hakobyan's house to hand him a notice from the Special Investigative Service, but Hakobyan was drunk, cursed, signed in the wrong place, didn't follow the commands of the police and started to beat them. As a result, two police officers from the Kentron police division "came to the rescue" and took Hakobyan to the police division. Arshaluys Hakobyan was charged based exclusively on the testimonies of four policemen and by Part 1 of Article 316 of the Criminal Code, that is, "violence against a state representative".
