The Russian Federation (RF) has canceled within its territory the CIS interstate arrest warrant that was declared against former Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces and ex-Defense Minister of Armenia, Mikayel Harutyunyan, Interfax news agency reported citing its informed source.

“Upon studying the reports against Harutyunyan, who is accused for the March 1, 2008 events which took place in Yerevan, a decision was made to cancel the search for him on the RF territory,” the source said.

As per the source, even though nothing threatens Harutyunyan in Russia, he still may be detained and extradited to Armenia if he were to travel to any other CIS member state.

The source also said that Russia had received the red notice on Harutyunyan a while ago, and not from the Prosecutor General’s Office of Armenia, but via international manhunt channels. According to the source, the arrest warrant includes the former minister’s residence address in Moscow.

Earlier, another source had told Interfax that the request for Harutyunyan’s extradition to Armenia will be denied, since he carries a Russian passport ever since 2002.

Former Defense Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan has been charged in Armenia within the framework of the criminal case into the tragic events that transpired in capital city Yerevan on March 1 and 2, 2008—and under Article 300.1 Paragraph 1 of the Criminal Code; that is, breaching Armenia’s constitutional order, in conspiracy with others. But since Harutyunyan is not in Armenia, an arrest warrant for him was declared.

On March 1 and 2, 2008, the then authorities used force against the opposition members who were rallying in downtown Yerevan, and against the results of the recent presidential election. Eight demonstrators as well as two servicemen of the internal troops were killed in the clashes. But no one had been brought to account for these deaths, to this day.