YEREVAN. – The Criminal Court of Appeal on Monday issued its verdict in the case involving activist Shant Harutyunyan and his friends.

Accordingly, the appellate court upheld the respective judgment by the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts of capital city Yerevan.

The defendants listened to the court ruling with a smile.

“Don’t be disappointed! We knew that it would be like this,” defendant Vardan Vardanyan said addressing his friends and relatives in the courtroom.

As reported earlier, on October 17, 2014, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts had found guilty—and primarily on charges of hooliganism—the thirteen defendants in the aforementioned case, and handed down prison sentences ranging between one and seven years. Activist Shant Harutyunyan, who had organized the demonstration on November 5 of the same year, was sentenced to six years in prison. His 15-year-old son, Shahen—who is a minor—on the other hand, was sentenced to four years, but this prison sentence was suspended.

The United National Initiative leader and activist Shant Harutyunyan, who had announced about starting a revolution, on November 5, 2013—and with close to one hundred supporters wearing Guy Fawkes “Anonymous masks”—had started a march toward the Presidential Palace, but the police had stopped the march.

As a result, there was a scuffle and explosions, and the police detained 38 activists. As a result of the melee, sixteen people, including eight police officers, were injured. Subsequently, criminal charges were laid against thirteen people, including Harutyunyan and his 15-year-old son.