18-Year-Old Andranik Chamichyan Arrested as Member of ARF

18-year-old Andranik Chamichyan, a member of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Youth Organization (AYO), has been arrested for two months. This was reported by attorney Ruben Melikyan.

“They charged him with preparation for terrorism, but there is no information at this time from investigative bodies about what kind of terrorism it was or who it was directed against,” said Melikyan.

According to him, the court, however, rejected the investigative body’s motion to ban visits. “The court took that humanitarian step and allowed the boy, who has serious health issues, to be visited by his parents,” Melikyan stated. He emphasized that the boy has health problems that prevent him from serving in the army.

Melikyan noted that the investigation merely discovered items intended for a strikeball game. “Not a single object was found from my client that would be illegal. The discovered grenade has nothing to do with my client. Initially, he was arrested on two charges: preparation for terrorism and illegal possession of military ammunition. When charges were filed, the illegal possession charge was dropped,” Melikyan explained.

He clarified that Chamichyan had taken the game items in a bag and left them at his grandmother’s house, saying he would come back for them in a few days. The grandmother thought they were unnecessary and threw them out with the trash, which was seen by citizens who alerted the authorities.

According to Melikyan, law enforcement preferred not to listen to or check the young man’s explanations, but immediately deemed them implausible, constructing such a narrative merely because Chamichyan is a member of the ARF AYO. The attorney added that they intend to appeal the court's decision.