Your trusted source

The court hearing in the case of arrested Armenian doctor and opposition MP Armen Charchyan was postponed to November 22, his lawyer Erik Aleksanyan said on Facebook on Tuesday.

On August 24, Charchyan suffered a heart attack. The defense lawyers have repeatedly requested the court to release him from pre-trial custody, citing his worsening health.

Alexanyan noted that one month has passed since the court ordered a forensic medical examination, but even a respective medical commission has not been set up to carry out an expertise. The Armenian Health Ministry has not reacted to the situation either.

"The current situation confirms once again that the Armenian authorities want to keep the professor in prison longer at any cost, which simply contains an element of legal nihilism," the lawyer wrote.

He called on Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan to urgently respond to the court's request and set up a commission to conduct an expertise, adding otherwise, she will be held responsible for the irreversible damage to Charchyan's health.

Charchyan, the former head of the Izmirlian Medical Center in Yerevan, has been charged for allegedly pressuring his employees to participate in the June 20 parliamentary elections and to vote for the Armenia bloc.