Prosecutor's Office Files Motion in Pavlik Manukyan Case

The hearing regarding the actions attributed to Pavlik Manukyan, a member of the 'Sasna Tsrer' group, was scheduled to take place yesterday at the Central Court of First Instance in Yerevan, concerning amendments made to the Criminal Code.

Manukyan's attorney, Zarouhi Postanjyan, stated in an interview with 'Hraparak' that the hearing was postponed due to her absence. 'The next hearing has been set for December; they did not inform me that there was a hearing, and unexpectedly, Pavlik was taken in. He also stated that he does not wish to proceed without a lawyer,' she noted.

According to the lawyer, her client was convicted under the old criminal code, while now the prosecutor's office has submitted a request to the court to align the charges with the new code: 'We are not yet familiar with this practice, and at this moment, I cannot say for sure what they want to change,' she said. 'Does it conform to the penalties of the new code? What has been modified? Can he be released? Can he not be released?'

It is worth noting that Pavlik Manukyan faces charges under Article 218, Part 3, Item 1 of the Criminal Code for taking hostages by an organized group, and Article 235, Part 3 for the illegal acquisition, carrying, or storage of weapons, ammunition, explosives, or explosive devices by an organized group.