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The Criminal Court of Appeals is set to hear the appeal against the arrest of Ara Saghatelyan, former chief of staff of the Armenian National Assembly on Thursday at 13.00, the Head of Veto Movement Narek Malyan informed. 

"Political prisoner Ara Saghatelyan has been arrested on ridiculous charges. To me, Ara Saghatelyan's arrest is another curtsy of the capitulant towards Aliyev," Malyan wrote on his Facebook, adding he would be outside the court building along with his friends. 

As reported earlier, the appeal against the arrest of Ara Saghatelyan had been assigned to judge Arshak Vardanyan of the Criminal Court of Appeals. 

Saghatelyan has been charged with allegedly provoking racial, religious or ethnic hostility, making public calls for violence and justifying or propagating violence and violating the rules of publishing or spreading information during the martial law. 

On February 21, judge Armine Meliksetyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction ruled to arrest Ara Saghatelyan for two months, granting a motion of the National Security Service investigator.

Many experts have labeled the case against him as “political persecution”, considering him a political prisoner.