Mayor of Armenia’s Kajaran town arrested for two months
The mayor of Kajaran, a town in Armenia’s Syunik Province, has been arrested for two months, opposition Reviving Armenia Party member Angela Nalbandyan said on Facebook on Saturday.
The ruling to arrest Mayor Manvel Paramazyan was issued by judge Gagik Poghosyan of the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction.
The Kajaran mayor is a member of the Reviving Armenia Party established by former Syunik Governor Vahe Hakobyan.
In recent days, criminal proceedings have been launched against the leaders of Syunik communities, including the Goris mayor, Karahunj and Vorotan community heads and several others.
Paramazyan’s lawyer, Lusine Sahakyan, said earlier on Friday that his client had been charged under Article 38-178 (Part 3), Article 311 (Part 4) and Article 154.2 (Part 2) of Armenia’s Criminal Code.
The mayor denies any wrongdoing, calling the charges against him “political persecution”.