Group of mothers holding a sit-in outside RA Prosecutor General`s  Office in support of schoolboy arrested following incident with  premier

ArmInfo.  A group of mothers are holding a sit-in outside the Prosecutor General's Office of Armenia in support of 18-year-old schoolboy David Minasyan, who has been held  in custody for two months following the incident involving Armenian  Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at St. Anna Church in Yerevan.

Saida Poghosyan, a member of the "Ayakve" civic initiative and mother  of four, told reporters that they plan to hold the sit-in for a week  from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. "I ask mothers who care about David Minasyan's  fate to join us, to come here even if only for a few minutes,"  Poghosyan noted. She explained that they are calling for an impartial  investigation from Armenia's Prosecutor General Anna Vardapetyan, as  well as for Minasyan to receive full treatment at home under the  supervision of his family and for the charges against him to be  reviewed.

"We know that David Minasyan is innocent, and that's why we're trying  to draw as many people's attention to this issue as possible. We must  understand that this happened to David today, and tomorrow, any other  child could find themselves in his place. We are not immune from  this," the Hayakve member emphasized.  It's worth noting that other  mothers have also joined the women during the protest. Artsakh  refugee and mother of three, Nubar Danielyan, stated that she also  intends to join the strike and fight to the end. "Our children must  live in safety. We must not find ourselves in situations like this.  We have a voice, and we will continue to do so until we achieve  results," Danielyan emphasized.

It is noteworthy that many of those who joined the protest did not  personally know the Minasyan family and contacted the Prosecutor  General's Office because they consider the incident unacceptable. 

Representatives of the youth organization "Ayakve" also held an  earlier protest at St. Anne's Church, where the incident occurred.  They came to the church with their hands bound and their mouths taped  shut, protesting the schoolboy's illegal detention. They held signs  reading: "Don't expect respect when faith is trampled," "The same  thing will happen to you tomorrow," "Freedom for David Minasyan," and  "An Armenian citizen is defenseless."

As a reminder, on April 1, an Armenian court sentenced 18-year-old  David Minasyan to two months' detention. The investigation accuses  him of offenses under Part 1 of Article 297 of the RA Criminal Code  (hooliganism) and Part 3 of Article 452 of the RA Criminal Code  (interference with the lawful official or political activities of an  official), which carries a prison sentence of 2 to 5 years. The  defense intends to appeal the court's decision. The incident occurred  on March 29 at St. Anne's Church on Palm Sunday during the liturgy,  when Pashinyan, accompanied by security guards, was heading for the  exit. At that moment, Minasyan made a sharp movement with his hand  toward the prime minister, but his hand was pulled back by his  bodyguards. Footage circulated online that same day showed someone  from the security service delivering a powerful blow to David  Minasyan's face, causing the young man to fall and, after rising,  struggled for a long time. Earlier, Minasyan's lawyer, Lusine  Martirosyan, reported that David had been diagnosed with a closed  head injury and needed treatment. It's noteworthy that the  Investigative Committee opened a case under the Criminal Code article  "interference in the lawful official or political activity of an  official," despite Prime Minister Pashinyan himself repeatedly  stating that he attends Sunday liturgies solely as an ordinary  parishioner of the Armenian Apostolic Church.