Six MPs offer personal guarantees for activist Tatev Virabyan's release
Six female lawmakers from the largest opposition Hayastan faction in the Armenian parliament have offered personal guarantees for the release of Artsakh activist Tatev Virabyan, her lawyer, Arsen Babayan, said on Saturday.
Virabyan, a mother of two minor children and sister of a fallen soldier, was arrested during a rally in support of Artsakh held in central Yerevan on September 19. She is accused of defying police orders, participating in mass unrests and making pubic calls for violence on social media.
The young woman is being held in pre-trial detention despite her health issues.
In a public post on Facebook, Babayan said the law-enforcement agency dealing with the case requested the court to extend her detention on Friday, 20 days before it would expire, fulfilling the Armenian leadership’s “orders”.
“The court hearing on a motion to extend Tatev’s detention is set for Monday. I am going to petition the court to release her under personal guarantees,” the lawyer added.