Sergey Kharatyan and Edgar Grigoryan to Remain in Custody Following Tripartite Statement

The Yerevan City Court of General Jurisdiction, presided over by Judge Armine Meliksetyan, has rejected a request to replace the detention of Sergey Kharatyan and Edgar Grigoryan, who entered the Government building on the night of November 9-10, with bail. It is noted that the bail amount was set at 15 million AMD.

In a conversation with NEWS.am, their lawyer Alexander Kochubayev stated that the court is under pressure in this case. According to Kochubayev, the accusations are extremely vague and abstract: “It is unclear what we are supposed to defend against. Sergey Kharatyan has personally testified that he is the person depicted in the video. Two witnesses in the case have also identified and recognized Sergey Kharatyan, providing consistent testimonies.”

The lawyer mentioned that the court has denied the motion to replace the detention of Sergey Kharatyan and Edgar Grigoryan with bail for the second time: “The court found that if they remained at liberty, they could exert illegal influence on the witnesses’ testimonies. The witnesses who were supposedly to be influenced by Sergey Kharatyan are giving the same testimonies. In other words, it should influence them to testify against him.”

It is recalled that following the tripartite statement on November 9, a group of citizens entered the Government building, the National Assembly, and the government residence. After that incident, Nikol Pashinyan announced that perfume, a computer, and a watch had been stolen. A criminal case has been initiated by the NSS regarding the incident, with a part of the case separated and sent to court concerning several defendants.