Armenian News - NEWS.am presents a daily digest of Armenia-related top news as of 17.06.2020:

·       Armenia confirmed Wednesday 544 COVID-19 new cases, bringing the total number to 18,033.

According to the latest data, 6,814 people have already recovered.

COVID-19 death toll in the country has reached 302. The total number of tests conducted so far is 87,600.

As health ministry said in response to Armenian News-NEWS.am's inquiry, as of June 10, a total of 971 healthcare workers at medical centers in Armenia have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

And one COVID-19 death was reported among the country’s medical workers.

·       As of Tuesday, COVID-19 was confirmed among 33 employees of the penitentiary system of Armenia, the Penitentiary Service's spokesperson Nona Navikyan told Armenian News - NEWS.am.

According to her, 19 out of these 33 employees have already recovered and returned to their official duties.

She added that among the people detained in the country’s penitentiaries, there was only one convict who had tested positive.

COVID-19 was registered in eight out of twelve penitentiaries in Armenia.

·       The parliamentary faction of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) will come up with two initiatives Wednesday: to create an inquiry committee to investigate the circumstances of the activities toward coronavirus prevention, elimination of its consequences and to apply to the Constitutional Court to challenge the legality of the decision regarding the organization of rallies during a state of emergency.

·       Opposition Bright Armenia Party leader Edmon Marukyan has already noted that they would support setting up of parliamentary inquiry committee on COVID-19.

In turn, Deputy Speaker of Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan noted: "If the committee is set up, we will also be able to examine the news that the insider groups of the Prosperous Armenia Party disseminate, stating that there is no coronavirus and that there is no need to wear a mask at all."

·       The Criminal Court of Appeal is considering on Wednesday Armenian ex-president Robert Kocharyan's attorneys' appeal of the ruling to keep Kocharyan under arrest.

While ruling on the case, the court did not analyze Kocharyan’s behavior before his arrest, did not take into account the fact that he himself returned to the country, and while free he did not show the slightest sign of obstruction of the investigation.

The refusal to release Kocharyan under a personal guarantee was not justified at all, which contradicts the requirements of the European Court. Thus, the decisions of the court are arbitrary and contradict Article 5 of the Convention on Human Rights.

Meanwhile - amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Robert Kocharyan, being in a penitentiary institution, is forced to constantly communicate with employees, the motion added.