Criminal prosecution against Moscow-based Hovhannes Sahakyan has been terminated, says lawyer.
The public criminal prosecution initiated against Moscow-based Hovhannes Sahakyan has been terminated. This was announced by his lawyer, Karine Margaryan.
"After a five-month struggle, the public criminal prosecution against Hovhannes Sahakyan has been terminated on the grounds that he did not commit the alleged act," the lawyer wrote.
It should be noted that the Court of Appeal ruled the arrest of the man—who had traveled to Armenia to vote—to be unlawful.
As a reminder, Hovhannes Sahakyan was arrested at Zvartnots Airport on June 7 while preparing to return to the Russian Federation. The reason for the arrest was a brief interview he had given earlier at the airport, in which he stated that he had come with his family to participate in the elections and planned to leave that same evening, adding: "The situation might get chaotic; we are with our children, so we shouldn't stay and face any complications." A video featuring him had circulated widely online, including for propaganda purposes. According to a statement by the Investigative Committee, Hovhannes Sahakyan was arrested because, despite being fully aware of a crime in preparation, he failed to report it to the competent authorities of the Republic of Armenia.
