Representatives of three parties are in court
Support A1+!Although the court sitting in the high-profile case Shant Harutyunyan and his friends has not started yet, the hall is full of people. Among them one can see representatives of the three opposition forces – Elinar Vardanyan (Prosperous Armenia Party), Nikol Pashinyan (Armenian National Congress) and Raffi Hovannisian (Heritage Party). The sitting was to start at 12.00. A group of citizens are holding a protest in support of Harutyunyan and his friends. Shant Harutyunyan, Chairman of the radical opposition Tseghakron party, and a dozen of his supporters clashed with riot police in Yerevan last November. Harutyunyan led a demonstration in Yerevan on November 5, 2013. During the protest he and scores of his supporters were confronted by riot police that blocked the street leading to the presidential administration, which the group was going ‘to blow up’ with petrol bombs. The Harutyunyan accused of “plotting a revolution” was arrested and charged with using violence against representatives of law-enforcement agencies. He was immediately charged under Article 316.2 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (violence against a representative of the authorities that is dangerous for life or health). However, in April 2014, the charges against political activist were replaced with Article 258 Section 4 (hooliganism committed with a weapon or another item used as a weapon). Harutyunyan faces up to 7 years in prison under new charges. According to official reports, 16 people were injured in the November 5 street clashes, including eight policemen. A total of 14 citizens, including Harutyunyan’s underage son Shahen, were charged in connection with the violence. Some human rights groups and representatives of the opposition also describe the people in the dock as political prisoners.
