Arsen Galstyan's Wife's Release Decision Occurred Before My Election as Mayor - Avinyan

I have specifically clarified that the change in the precautionary measure for Arsen Galstyan's wife took place before my election as mayor. This was stated by Yerevan Mayor Tigran Avinyan in an interview with Public Television.

“That court session was independent of the political process. We have five political forces that have entered the Yerevan Council, and each force has publicly expressed its position at some stage. It was clear that there would be no unity found there, as even slightly apolitical discussions were taking place. We and the ‘Republic’ party have formed a coalition based on ideological grounds. Other court hearings regarding that criminal case have also taken place, where different decisions have been made, meaning that detentions have been extended. There were no agreements,” Avinyan stated.

It should be noted that Tigran Avinyan was elected mayor with 32 votes in favor. To ensure a quorum at the council session, the representation of both the CPP and the 'Republic' party was insufficient; the presence of at least one more council member was needed. The ‘Mother Armenia’ and ‘National Progress’ factions had boycotted the session, and if the ‘Public Voice’ party had boycotted as well, a quorum would not have been achieved, which would have meant new elections were to be held.