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The Yerevan Criminal Court of Appeals, presided over by judge Arsen Nikoghosyan, ruled that there has been a violation of Arsen Babayan’s rights during his arrest, his lawyer Yervand Varosyan said.

Arsen Babayan, a former deputy chief of the Armenian parliament staff, was arrested on 21 October after being accused of involvement in a “usurpation of power” which resulted in Hrayr Tovmasyan’s appointment as Constitutional Court chairman in 2018. His lawyers appealed the arrest ruling to the higher court.

In a post on Facebook, Yervand Varosyan said the court confirmed that Babayan’s rights have been violated, considering substantiated all the arguments presented by the defense lawyers, including the absence of reasonable suspicion, breach of timeframes for considering the legality of his arrest, the circumstances excluding criminal prosecution and absence of legal grounds for his arrest.

Varosyan added that the court formally rejected the appeal given the fact that another measure of restraint has already been imposed on the former official.

The lawyer said they will be able to tell whether the court ruling is satisfactory for the defense team only after getting familiarized with the document.