Armenian NGOs call for immediate release of General Grigory Khachaturov
Nearly a dozen Armenian NGOs have denounced the extension of Major-General Grigory Khachaturov’s arrest and called for his immediate release.
Judge Aram Grigoryan of Yerevan’s Anti-Corruption Court on Monday granted a request to extend his pre-trial arrest by another three months.
Khachaturov, the former commander of the Armenian army’s Third Corps, has been charged with money laundering through real estate. He was arrested on March 16.
In a joint statement released on Thursday, the NGOs called Khachaturov’s prosecution “politically motivated” and alleged government pressure on the judge presiding over the case.
“Arbitrary prosecutions have no place in a democratic country,” they said, urging media outlets to actively cover the case.
The signatories include the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, Genesis Armenia Think Tank/Foundation, Security and Democracy NGO, Alternative Projects Group, to name a few.