Opposition activist Andreas Ghukasyan faces new charges

Opposition politician Andreas Ghukasyan, charged with organizing mass riots in the Yerevan District of Sari Tag, is also accused of an attempt to commit crimes under three Articles of the Criminal Code of Armenia, including seizure of a building, hostage taking, and carrying weapons.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that at night of July 30, 2016, Andreas Ghukasyan was detained by law enforcers after a march in the Sari Tag District of Yerevan, which ended in mass riots. The march was held in support of the unit "Sasna Tsrer" (Daredevils of Sassoun), which members at that time captured a building of the police regiment in Yerevan. Andreas Ghukasyan claimed the political nature of his case, and he was supported by human rights organizations.

His advocate Karen Medjlumyan has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent about the toughening of the charges filed against Andreas Ghukasyan.

In particular, the advocate noted that after the rally, according to investigators, Andreas Ghukasyan planned to enter the police regiment building captured by the unit "Sasna Tsrer". However, the defence treats the charge as unreasonable.

Karen Medjlumyan accused the investigators of carrying out biased investigation into the case. According to the advocate, the investigator refused to grant numerous motions that would completely refute the involvement of Andreas Ghukasyan in the crimes incriminated to him.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.