Motion Filed to Replace Arush Arushanyan's Sentence with Imprisonment

The Probation Service has submitted a motion to the court regarding the replacement of the sentence of Arush Arushanyan, the mayor of Goris, with imprisonment. This information has been shared by the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia.

"Beneficiary Arush Arushanyan, having been deprived by a court decision of the right to hold a leading position in local self-government bodies as a penalty, and being aware of the potential legal responsibility for not complying with the punishment requirement, continues to serve as the mayor of the Goris community in the Syunik region," the ministry's statement read.

According to the agency, an act has been drawn up in the regional body of Syunik regarding evasion of punishment, and a motion has been filed with the First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction of Syunik to replace the penalty imposed on Arush Arushanyan of deprivation of the right to hold a leading position in local self-government bodies with imprisonment, as well as to annul the decision on the non-application of the punishment in the form of imprisonment and send him to serve the sentence.

It is noteworthy that Arush Arushanyan was arrested on July 16, 2021. He was charged under Article 154.2, Part 4, Clause 2 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (obstructing the free exercise of voters' will), Article 149, Part 2, Clause 4 (using his official position to impede the exercise of electoral rights), and Article 154.2, Part 3 (violating the secrecy of voting).

This criminal case was joined with another criminal case, where a bail of 2 million drams was applied as a measure of restraint for Arushanyan. He was released on March 28, 2022.