Supporters of imprisoned former military commander rally outside Yerevan courthouse

A fresh demonstration has begun outside the Court of Cassation building in Yerevan, Armenia in the morning of May 21.

Demonstrators are demanding the court to launch proceedings over imprisoned former Artsakh defense minister Samvel Babayan’s case.

Babayan was once a military commander and is currently serving a 6 year prison term for smuggling a shoulder-launched IGLA type missile system into Armenia.

The demonstrators had previously rallied for the same cause on May 18 outside the Prosecutor General’s Office and later proceeded towards the courthouse.

Chairman of the Criminal Chamber of the Court of Cassation Serzhik Avetisyan had met with the protesters and told them that there is no specific date for launching proceedings over a complaint and that the court has a three-months period to make a decision.

The attorney of Babayan has appealed the verdict to the Court of Cassation pending approval for proceedings.

In the early 2000s Babayan was also convicted for an attempted assassination of Arkady Ghoukasyan, then-President of Nagorno Karabakh.