- Astghik Bedevian
A leading member of billionaire Samvel Karapetian’s Strong Armenia alliance, who has been elected to the new Armenian parliament, was released from custody at the start of his trial on Friday.
Davit Ghazinian was arrested on June 18 on vote-buying charges denied by him in a crackdown on Strong Armenia and other major opposition groups that continued even after the disputed parliamentary elections held on June 7. Hundreds of other members and supporters of Karapetian’s bloc have also been prosecuted in recent months.
They include the Russian-Armenian tycoon’s nephew and right-hand man Narek Karapetian, who topped the bloc’s list of election candidates. The Central Election Commission (CEC) on Wednesday allowed prosecutors to indict but not arrest him, saying that he now enjoys parliamentary immunity from detention.
The judge presiding over Ghazinian’s trial released him from custody for the same reason. A trial prosecutor said that he must remain in jail until the parliament’s inaugural session slated for August 2 and only then be freed on bail worth as much as 1 billion drams ($2.7 million). The judge dismissed the objections.
“I’m very sorry that I needed the status of parliament deputy to get out of jail,” Ghazinian told reporters after the court hearing.
It is not yet clear whether the prosecutors will ask the parliament controlled by the ruling Civil Contract party to allow Ghazinian’s renewed arrest. The oppositionist insisted that he is ready to go back to prison and will keep fighting for regime change in any case. He again dismissed the charges levelled against him, saying that they were fabricated on Pashinian’s orders.
Another Strong Armenia member elected to the new National Assembly, Hayk Sukiasian, remains behind bars His lawyers were due to petition the prosecutors to release him from custody.
Another opposition lawmaker, Artur Sargsian, is held under house arrest. A member of the outgoing parliament, Sargsian has been standing trial along with Archbishop Bagrat Galstanian and his 16 other supporters accused of plotting “terrorist acts” in a bid to seize power. The judge in that trial refused to free Sargsian on Thursday, arguing that his parliamentary immunity from prosecution was already lifted last year.
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