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The Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia has turned into an “impotent agency”, one of the leaders of the Armenia bloc, Vahe Hakobyan, told reporters during a protest against the arrest of prominent doctor, Armenia bloc member Armen Charchyan outside the building of the law enforcement agency on Thursday. Politicians, public figures and doctors are among the protesters.

Charchyan, who heads the Izmirlian Medical Center, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of pressuring his employees to take part in the June 20 snap parliamentary elections.

In a leaked audio recording of his meeting with hospital staffers, Charchyan can be heard telling them that they must go to the polls, adding he will check their participation in the elections.

Noting that he has worked in the law enforcement system for 9 years, Hakobyan states now the Prosecutor's Office has become a tool at the hand of caretaker Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Referring to the audio recording, he said: “Charchyan actually says, go and vote for whoever you want, including the Civil Contract Party. It is incomprehensible to me in general why it was Charchyan. If I was [arrested], I would understand somewhere, but Charchyan is an intellectual, many lives depend on him. The so-called state apparatus is trying to carry out political terror to intimidate the people, including our supporters.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Charchyan’s lawyer, Aram Vardevanyan, said he was taken to hospital by ambulance after the Yerevan court issued the arrest ruling.

“In the occurred situation, we have filed an urgent motion to Prosecutor General Artur Davtyan to use his discretionary authority and remove detention as a preventive measure,” he said.