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The political leadership decided to arrest one of our colleagues, deputy Armen Charchyan," the head of opposition  "Armenia" faction Seyran Ohanyan announced on Tuesday at the opening sitting of the National Assembly. To note, the session is attended by PM Nikol Pashinyan who has arrived in parliament to present the five-year programme of the government. 

Ohanyan reminded that the illegal ruling by the Yerevan Criminal Court of Appeals runs counter to the Constitution and the practice of proceedings of criminal cases, while the behavior of the judge should receive a subject of legal assessment by competent bodies. 

"Armenia faction voices about continuous persecution against its members and strictly condemn the criminal behavior of the authorities to obstruct the opposition activity and speech through repossessions. We voice our unilateral support and solidarity with all our colleagues who are under detention and call on the leadership of the National Assembly to ensure the regular work of the NA deputies. We also suggest all factions to come up with a statement, invite the Prosecutor-General to parliament and provide explanations," Ohanyan said. 

To remind, The Yerevan Criminal Court of Appeals upheld an earlier ruling on Monday to arrest former Director at Izmirlyan Medical Center and lawmaker from opposition "Armenia" bloc Armen Charchyan,  granting the prosecutors’ appeals against a lower court’s decision to release him from custody. 

Armen Charchyan, former Director at Izmirlyan Medical Center and lawmaker from the opposition "Armenia" bloc, was arrested  by Police in June, before the snap parliamentary elections for allegedly forcing his employees to take part in the elections and vote for the "Armenia" bloc.