Prosecutor General personally meets protesting crowd rallying against retired general’s release

Prosecutor General of Armenia Arthur Davtyan personally stepped into a crowd of protestors who are demonstrating against the release of MP Manvel Grigoryan.

The protest is taking place outside the Prosecutor General’s Office in downtown Yerevan.

Davtyan told the protesters that they have received the court ruling and that they disagree with it.

“We are preparing the complaint with our substantiations,” he said, adding that they seek to file the motion to the court of appeals today. The court of appeals has three days to examine a complaint of a lower court ruling, according to law.

He told the crowd that the first instance court has released Grigoryan on bail citing the former general’s health.  “The court saw grounds for arrest, but ruled that in this case bail can replace arrest, something we don’t agree with. We find that [Grigoryan’s] diseases are not incompatible with detention,” Davtyan said. He said that they also await a conclusion of healthcare personnel on this matter.

He argues that Grigoryan might be a threat if not restrained.

Grigoryan was released from arrest Friday on a multi-million dram bail.