Seven MPs Provide Personal Guarantees for Changing Doctor Armen Charutyans Pretrial Detention

Seven members of the National Assembly have presented personal guarantees, requesting a change in the pretrial detention of Doctor Armen Charutyans. "Dear Mr. Margaryan, your jurisdiction includes the criminal case No. 62210621. Acknowledging the importance of proper investigation within the framework of the initiated criminal case, emphasizing the significance of revealing all the circumstances of the case, and ensuring its execution solely within the framework of the rule of law, considering Armen Gerasimovich Charutyans' extensive contributions to the healthcare system of the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Artsakh, including unprecedented successes achieved in the medical field, particularly in terms of providing medical assistance and services to the people, his title as Doctor of Medical Sciences and Professor, his impeccable biography, the statement from the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin regarding Armen Charutyans, and the fact that he currently faces health issues, I guarantee that if the pretrial detention measure against Armen Gerasimovich Charutyans is lifted, he will demonstrate appropriate behavior, will not obstruct the investigation, will not evade appearing before the enforcing body, and will not commit acts prohibited by criminal law.

I guarantee the fulfillment of procedural obligations throughout the examination of the case while in freedom; therefore, I request that the applied detention be replaced with a preventive measure not related to deprivation of liberty. I hereby announce that I am prepared to fulfill the procedural obligations stipulated by the criminal procedure code of the Republic of Armenia for the purpose of replacing the detention with a measure not related to deprivation of liberty based on this guarantee," stated MP Naira Zohrabyan in a release. Other MPs including Sophia Hovsepyan, Taguhi Tonoyan, Anna Grigoryan, Arkadi Khachatryan, Anna Kostanyan, and Vardan Vardanian have joined Zohrabyan.

A complaint has been filed with the Court of Appeals against the decision to detain the director of the Izmirlian Medical Center, Professor Armen Charutyans. It is noted that the Special Investigative Service made a decision to involve Armen Charutyans as a defendant. The investigator made a decision regarding the request to select detention as a preventive measure against Charutyans. Earlier, an audio recording had circulated on the internet, in which Armen Charutyans called on medical center staff to participate in the elections. Charutyans had been arrested, subsequently released.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin commented on the arrest of Professor Armen Charutyans, a candidate for the "Armenia" alliance, urging law enforcement agencies to immediately release Professor Charutyans. The prosecutor submitted a request to the CEC regarding the agreement to deprive Armen Charutyans of his liberty. Judge Armine Meliksetyan accepted the SIS's request for the application of detention as a preventive measure against Professor Armen Charutyans, who was detained for one month.