Court of Appeals Overturns Acquittal of Three Participants in 'Tavush for the Homeland' Movement

The Court of Appeals has overturned the acquittal of three individuals involved in the 'Tavush for the Homeland' movement organized and led by Vazgen Galstanyan. On May 31, 2024, around 4:00 PM, during a rally held in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, a group of people ignored the requests of police officers to maintain proper conduct and not violate public order, engaging in various actions that disrupted the peace, including throwing bottles and other objects at the police officers and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs building.

This information was disclosed by the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia.

During the hooligan acts, Gagik Hambardzumyan, Zhora Avetisyan, and Mesrop Esayan threw smoking objects towards the police officers. The prosecutor initiated public criminal prosecution against Gagik Hambardzumyan, Zhora Avetisyan, and Mesrop Esayan under the first point of the second part of Article 297 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, which pertains to hooliganism committed by a group of individuals.

On May 27, 2025, the Yerevan Court of First Instance recognized and declared the innocence of Gagik Hambardzumyan, Zhora Avetisyan, and Mesrop Esayan regarding the charges presented against them.

Following the verdict of the Yerevan Court of First Instance on May 27, 2025, the prosecutor filed an appeal, which was granted by the Criminal Court of Appeals on January 22, 2026. The case has been sent back to the first instance court for a new hearing.