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Artsakh’s President Arayik Harutyunyan called on the Armenian law enforcement authorities to release public activist and opposition politician Avetik Chalabyan.

Chalabyan was arrested on May 12 for allegedly trying to pay students of the Armenian National Agrarian University to participate in ongoing anti-government protests in Yerevan. He has denied the charges as politically motivated.

He is also a co-founder of Arar Foundation, a charity supporting the Armenian army as well as border villages in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

In a statement on Friday, the Artsakh leader highlighted that Chalabyan is a friend of Artsakh, adding a number of important programs are being implemented at his initiative.

"On behalf of the Artsakh people and on my own behalf, I ask the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia to reconsider the measure of restraint as well as to conduct a full, objective and comprehensive investigation," Harutyunyan said.

Speaker of the Artsakh National Assembly Artur Tovmasyan and ten MPs issued a similar call. The lawmakers’ statement posted on social media noted that Chalabyan was actively involved in numerous programs to restore Artsakh.

"We express concern over Avetik Chalabyan’s arrest and call for his release from custody," the statement reads.