One of leaders of Heritage opposition party charged with staging riots in Armenian capital
YEREVAN. Aug 1 (Interfax) - Deputy head of the Armenian opposition party Heritage Armen Martirosyan is indicted for organization and participation in mass riots in Yerevan, lawyer of the politician Givi Ovannisyan told Interfax on Monday.
"Martirosyan is indicted under Part 1 Article 225 of the Armenian Criminal Code (organization and participation in mass riots)," Ovannisyan said.
The court will hear an investigator's motion for arrest on Monday, he said.
"We have presented a motion in the court from 15 deputies of Armenian parliament so that Martirosyan will not be deprived of freedom and a measure of restraint not associated with the deprivation of freedom will be applied. The decision has not been made yet," he said.
Earlier, the main department for especially important cases of the Armenian Investigative Committee opened a criminal inquiry into mass riots in Yerevan.
A criminal case has been opened under Article 225 parts one and two (organization and participation in mass disturbances), the Committee told Interfax.
"Twenty-three people, including Armen Martirosyan and Andrias Gukasyan, have been arrested on the charges of organizing and participating in mass disturbances," the Committee said.
"The inquiry found that on July 29, a group of individuals organized mass disturbances during which violence was used against police and public safety put at risk," the Armenian Investigative Committee said.
Leader of the Stand Up, Armenia! opposition initiative Gukasyan has been indicted earlier on Monday.