Court replaces Aregnaz Manukyan’s detention with house arrest

The Criminal Court of First Instance of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan has replaced the detention of Aregnaz Manukyan, a board member of the Mother Armenia party and former MP, with house arrest, imposing a ban on communication with other people.

Manukyan’s lawyer, Tatevik Soghoyan, reported this. The decision was made on the basis of a motion filed by the defence.

The defence intends to appeal the decision. According to Soghoyan, the detention was replaced with house arrest, but a ban on communication with other people was imposed, which had not been provided for in the court’s previous decision. The court also took into account that the preliminary hearings in the case had concluded.

Aregnaz Manukyan was detained on July 9 and subsequently remanded in custody for two months. On September 8, her detention was extended for another month.

Public criminal prosecution has been initiated against Manukyan under Article 427, Part 1 of the Criminal Code on charges of publishing information containing a state secret. Manukyan denies the charge.