Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 26.12.2019:

·       Yerevan Court has granted the motion to arrest Armenian TV company owner Armen Tavadyan, lawyer Hovhannes Khudoyan told reporters on Thursday.

Armen Tavadyan is under arrest within the criminal case on Varuzhan Mkrtchyan -Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan’s supporter. Mkrtchyan had reportedly called one of the victims of the March 1, 2008 events to his office and proposed the latter to decline from the victim's status and the testimony given and not go to court hearings. He said he was ready to pay him money the state would provide as financial aid.

·       Deceased Yazidi soldier Artur Ajamyan’s relatives were near the Armenian Government building with a demand to meet Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan.

Pashinyan later met the relatives of the serviceman, who received a lethal firearm injury on December 2 at a Karabakh Defense Army military unit.

According to them, the Investigative Committee could have found out the circumstances behind his death in a short period of time, but the preliminary investigation is still in progress.

·       Armenian President Armen Sarkissian signed Thursday laws on making additions to the law on Constitutional Court and to the law on the functioning, servicing, and social guarantees for officials.

Thus, the serving CC judges can apply for early retirement.

·       A convict has died in a prison in Armenia.

An ambulance was called Thursday to Armavir Penitentiary because of the deteriorating health condition of Artur Karapetyan, 31, convicted 5 times.

Karapetyan was taken to hospital and was pronounced dead. An investigation is underway.

·       Armenian weightlifter, two-time world champion Simon Martirosyan will receive the gold medal of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in the weight category 105 kg.

The doping test of Uzbek Ruslan Nurudinov gave a positive result, and he will be deprived of a gold medal.

Meanwhile, Armenian ministry of education, culture and sport named the best Armenian athlete of the year, selected by SMS vote and the vote by coaches and sport journalists.

Arthur Aleksanyan, Ruben Aleksanyan, and Simon Martirosyan are among the included athletes.