Judge sends HAK activist to six years in prison
Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan's Kentron and Nork-Marash districts has sent Tigran Arakelyan, an activist of Armenian National Congress (HAK), to six years in prison.
The other three activists - Artak Karapetyan, David Kiramijyan and Sargis Gevorgyan -were sent to 3 and 2 years' imprisonment respectively.
Earlier, Prosecutor demanded to sentence Hakob Martirosyan demanded 6 years for Arakelyan, 3,5 for Karapetyan and 2 years for Gevorgyan. As to David Kiramijyan, the prosecutor offered a suspended sentence.
Seven HAK activists were taken into custody on August 9, 2011, after a standoff with police in a Yerevan park. On August 12, three of them were released under recognizance not to leave; and on August 19 the court decided to release three more activists; however, a petition to release Tigran Arakelyan was rejected. The activists are accused of hooliganism against a representative of law-enforcement body.
Following Arakelyan's detention, the HAK suspended the dialogue with the government demanding the authorities to release Tigran Arakelyan whom the opposition alliance viewed as a political prisoner.
