Six of the 10 detained supporters of the Strong Armenia alliance have been placed in pretrial detention, while another suspect has been placed under house arrest, the Investigative Committee said.
Court hearings regarding the remaining three detainees have not yet taken place, Factor.am reports.
According to investigators, on May 16, a group of supporters of the Strong Armenia alliance obstructed the normal course of the Civil Contract party’s election campaign near the entrance to the Norashen settlement by blocking the roadway with vehicles. In addition, on the same day, another group of supporters of the alliance played loud music on the roadway at the square located at the beginning of Andranik Street in the Metsavan settlement and used violence against participants of the Civil Contract party, thereby disrupting the normal conduct of the campaign.
Criminal proceedings have been launched under Article 211, Part 2, Point 5 of the Criminal Code — “otherwise obstructing campaigning by a group of persons.”
Metsavan and Norashen are settlements within the enlarged Tashir community, where Defense Minister Suren Papikyan, who was born in Lori, conducted campaign events.
One of the videos showed a group of people greeting the Civil Contract motorcade with chants of “Samvel for prime minister” and songs. At the scene, Papikyan called on police officers to restore order among opposition supporters and promised to “teach a political lesson to those giving them instructions.”
