Appeals hearing for former Masis Mayor postponed until January 19

ArmInfo.  The Criminal Court of Appeals  has adjourned the hearing  for David Hambardzumyan,  former Masis Mayor and Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) candidate for Prime Minister,  until January 19 at 2:00 PM.

Today, the Hambardzumyan trial began in the Criminal Court of  Appeals. The state prosecutor stated that he had not yet had  sufficient time to review the case materials and requested a  postponement so he could properly familiarize himself with them.

David Hambardzumyan's lawyer, Tigran Atanesyan, pointed out that this  is the fifth change of state prosecutor since the proceedings began.  He requested that the court hearing be continued to discuss the  motion for a preventive measure against his client. Defense attorney  Gayane Papoyan supported her colleague's position. However, the new  attorney objected, requesting a postponement of the hearing for at  least a week to review the case materials.

Recall, Hambartsumyan was previously sentenced to six years and three  months in prison, after being found guilty of using weapons against  protesters and organizing mass riots in 2018. On October 28, 2025, he  was arrested at Zvartnots Airport upon returning from Russia. On  October 31, 2025, he formally resigned as mayor of Masis. On November  17, Norayr Hakobyan was elected as head of the enlarged community.