In Addition to Nairi Hunanyan, Two More Convicts from the October 27 Case Have Filed for Release

In the case related to the October 27 events, Nairi Hunanyan is not the only one sentenced to life imprisonment who has applied for early conditional release. This was reported to Sputnik Armenia by Nona Navikyan, the head of the Public Relations Department of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia.

According to her, for the first time, two members of the criminal group applied for early conditional release in 2017, and both were denied. The applicants were Ashot Knyazyan and Derenik Bejanian.

The matter is that prior to the amendment of the Criminal Code, 1 day of detention was counted as 1.5 days. Therefore, the 20-year term of imprisonment for those convicted in the October 27 case was completed in 2017, taking into account the pre-trial detention period.

“Ashot Knyazyan applied for the second time on April 16, 2016. The correctional service and the Probation Service submitted negative reports regarding him, resulting in the denial of the application,” said Nona Navikyan.

It should be reminded that Nairi Hunanyan submitted a request about a month ago, asking for release on parole after serving his sentence. The Criminal Procedure Code grants this right to life-term prisoners after serving 20 years in detention.

As reported by Lusine Martirosyan, the press secretary of the Minister of Justice, the law provides an 80-day period to respond to Hunanyan's application, during which two state bodies—the Correctional Service and the Probation Service—must present their conclusions on the matter.

“After receiving the official notification, the Probation Service prepares and submits a report on the convicted person's proper behavior and the potential for committing new crimes within the 80-day timeframe. In this case, the Probation Service received the official notification on September 13. The service will present the report within the specified deadline, after which the administration of the correctional institution will make the appropriate decision,” stated the Ministry of Justice.

It is noteworthy that on October 23, Minister of Justice Rustam Badasyan announced in the National Assembly that the penitentiary had already issued a negative conclusion regarding Hunanyan's release request, which gave the minister reason to speculate that the Probation Service would also provide a negative conclusion.