YEREVAN. – Armenia’s former presidential contender, non-party affiliate, epic poetry specialist Vardan Sedrakyan and his attorney, Aleksandr Sirunyan, on Monday received the text of the Court of Criminal Appeals’ recent ruling on Sedrakyan. 

The Sirunyan Law Office posted the following in its Facebook account: 

“Today [Monday] we finally received the March 18 ruling of the Armenian Court of Criminal Appeals with respect to the detention of Vardan Sedrakyan. After making clarifications with Vardan Sedrakyan, we will file an appeal.”   

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, Armenian capital city Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash General Jurisdiction Court on March 5 sentenced ex-presidential contender, non-party affiliate and epic poetry specialist Vardan Sedrakyan to two months in prison. The National Security Service had filed a petition to have Sedrakyan incarcerated.  

The former presidential candidate is charged with giving the directive for the failed assassination attempt against fellow ex-presidential contender, opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman, Paruyr Hayrikyan. 

Sirunyan had appealed the ruling on Sedrakyan’s detention, and also petitioned to the investigator to present the grounds for the charge. But the appeal on Sedrakyan’s detention was turned down on March 18.

To note, an assassination attempt was made against former presidential candidate, opposition National Self-Determination Union Chairman Paruyr Hayrikyan, on January 31 at around 11:20pm in downtown Yerevan, in front of his home. Hayrikyan was shot and hospitalized with a gunshot wound. He underwent a successful surgery on the morning of February 1, and a bullet—which was located in the soft tissues of his right elbow shoulder—was removed. 

Also, a criminal case is opened in connection with the assassination attempt against Hayrikyan. It is launched on charges of carrying out an assassination attempt against a statesman, political or public figure, which—that is, the attempt—is carried out to end this person’s noted activities. This crime is punishable by imprisonment for 12-20 years, or life in prison. The National Security Service is conducting the investigation. On February 7, formerly convicted Khachatur Poghosyan, and Samvel Harutyunyan were detained on suspicion of carrying out an assassination attempt against Paruyr Hayrikyan. And on February 10, Poghosyan, 46, and Harutyunyan, 40 were arrested. Both have pleaded guilty, but the motives of the assassination attempt are unclear to this day. Incidentally, both men had carried out remodeling in Vardan Sedrakyan’s home. 

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am