Judge denies request to release oppositionist Avetik Chalabyan
Judge Armen Danielyan of the Yerevan Court of Criminal Appeals on Tuesday refused to release opposition activist Avetik Chalabyan from prison, upholding a lower court ruling.
“Naturally, such a decision by Armen Danielyan could be expected,” his lawyer Varazdat Harutyunyan said.
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.
Chalabyan is a co-founder of Arar Foundation, a charity supporting the Armenian army as well as border villages in Armenia and Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).
The Artsakh president, parliament speaker, MPs and religious leader have called for his release.
Related news
- Artsakh president, MPs call for release of Avetik Chalabyan
- Judge Armen Danielyan set to hear appeal against Avetik Chalabyan's arrest
- Avetik Chalabyan: We should not be afraid of hardships for a decent future for our generations