Friday, September 7 2018 11:05

ArmInfo. The Former Minister of Defense of Armenia, Lieutenant-General Mikael Harutyunyan, announced internationally wanted in CIS, was removed from the wanted list in the territory of the Russian Federation, an informed source told Interfax.

 

"After studying the materials regarding Harutyunyan who is accused of the March 1, 2008 events in Yerevan, a decision was made to cancel his search on the territory of the Russian Federation," the interlocutor told Interfax. Thus, he explained, in Russia the disgraced general is not in danger. But, according to the source, in the case of Harutyunyan's appearance in the CIS countries, he can be arrested and extradited to Armenia.

 

The source also specified that Moscow received the request for the arrest and extradition of the former defense minister some time ago not from the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia, but through the interstate search channels. In the received arrest warrant, even the home address of the accused in the Russian capital is indicated.

 

Earlier another source of Interfax reported that Harutyunyan's extradition will be rejected, since starting from 2002 he has a Russian passport.

 

Armenian Police Chief Valery Osipyan reported that Harutyunyan, as well as the brother of former President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, Levon and his niece Ani Sargsyan have been put on interstate wanted list since July. The spouse of the ex-head of the Defense Ministry for her part informed the journalists that Harutyunyan was in Moscow.  According to the Armenian media, the brother of the ex- president and his daughter are also in Russia.  Former Defense Minister Lieutenant-General Harutyunyan is accused of violating the Constitution and attempting to overthrow the constitutional order during the dispersal of mass demonstrations in March 2008, when supporters of former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan protested against the results of the presidential elections, which Sargsyan won. The protest rallies broke out on March 1-2 in riots and clashes between protesters and law enforcement forces, which resulted in the death of ten people, about 200 injured.  As part of this case, charges were brought against Harutyunyan, CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov, who served in 2008 in the Armenian Armed Forces, and former President Robert Kocharyan.  Khachaturov was released on bail, Kocharyan was arrested, but later the measure of restraint was changed to a written undertaking not to leave the place.