Russia will not give out to Yerevan ex-Minister of Defense of Armenia

ArmInfo. Moscow received an official request from Yerevan for the extradition of ex-Defense Minister of Armenia Mikael Harutyunyan, who is in the interstate search for CIS countries in the criminal case on the events of March 1, 2008 in Yerevan, an informed source told Interfax. "The request for the extradition of ex-Defense Minister of Armenia Arutyunyan, who was declared an interstate wanted list, went to the law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation and is currently under consideration," the source said. "The preliminary decision was made that extradition will be refused, since it is established that since 2002 Mikael Harutyunyan has a Russian passport," the source said, reminding that under the Constitution, Russian citizens are not extradited to foreign countries, including for bringing to criminal responsibility .

The source did not disclose the details of the correspondence of the competent authorities of the Russian Federation and Armenia, saying only that the request was received by the NCB of Interpol in Russia.

Earlier in August of this year, Armenian police chief Valery Osipyan reported that Harutyunyan is on interstate wanted list. "So far, we do not see the need to declare him on international wanted list." His whereabouts are still unknown, "he told journalists on August 21.  According to him, the brother of the ex- President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan Levon, the niece of Ani Sargsyan and Harutyunyan were announced in the interstate search of the CIS countries in July.

The spouse of the ex-head of the Defense Ministry of Armenia, for her part, informed the journalists that Harutyunyan is in Moscow.  According to the Armenian media, the former president's brother and his daughter are also in Russia. Former Defense Minister Lieutenant-General Mikael Harutyunyan is accused of trying 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 were won by Serzh Sargsyan. The protest riots broke out on March 1-2 in riots and clashes between protesters and law enforcement forces, which killed ten people, injuring about 200 people.

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 ex-President Robert Kocharian.  Khachaturov was released on bail, Harutyunyan was put on the wanted list inside the country, Kocharyan was arrested. The defense of the latter appealed against the arrest in the appellate court, which quashed the decision of the first instance court in connection with the inviolability of the former president.