YEREVAN, APRIL 23, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament Ara Babloyan had a meeting overnight with MP Sasun Michaelyan, MP Ararat Mirzoyan and MP Nikol Pashinyan – after the three lawmakers were placed under arrest. As required by law, the Speaker was immediately notified about the arrest.

“I visited my colleagues firstly as a doctor [ referring to his profession], as a grandfather, as a caring friend, and I am hopeful that my request will be of any value to my colleague,” Babloyan told ARMENPRESS.

Earlier on Sunday, police dispersed a rally in the city’s Erebuni district, and three initiators of the rally, opposition leader MP Nikol Pashinyan, and two other lawmakers - Ararat Mirzoyan and Sasun Michaelyan were detained.

“All actions of the initiators of the rally are illegal after the decision of the police to cease the demonstrations, and all participants of the rally are obliged to leave the location of the rally”, police said.

After a couple of hours the Prosecutor General’s Office said that the three lawmakers have been placed under arrest under Article 96, Paragraph 2 of the Constitution within the framework of an ongoing criminal case with the purpose of preventing crime and in direct suspicion of deliberately organizing and holding illegal rallies.

“MP Nikol Pashinyan, MP Ararat Mirzoyan and MP Sasun Michaelyan have numerously called on their followers to block city streets, block entrances of governmental buildings, breach into governmental buildings and paralyze the functioning of these buildings.

Their followers implemented the unlawful calls and blocked numerous streets and avenues, blocked the entries of state, self-governing body buildings, as well as private organizations, obstructed the normal functioning of these buildings and agencies, committed violence against police officers and others – leading to disproportionate restriction of the rights of other citizens and public interest.

As required by the Constitution, the Speaker of Parliament has been immediately notified on the arrest of the lawmakers”, the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.

The Speaker released a statement Sunday calling for dialogue between the sides.

According to Article 96 of the Armenian Constitution, criminal proceedings may be launched against a Member of Parliament only with the approval of the Parliament.

A lawmaker can be detained or arrested only in case of being caught red-handed committing a crime or immediately afterwards. In this case, the given lawmaker can be placed under arrest for 72 hours. 

English –translator/editor: Stepan Kocharyan