YEREVAN. - The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on Friday granted the motion by the legal defenders of Artur Vardanyan, the “ringleader” of the “armed group” that was rendered ineffective in Armenia’s capital city in 2015, and released him on a 1mn dram (approx. US$2,100) bail.

Out of about two dozen defendants in the respective criminal case, solely Vardanyan was still in custody; most of them had been released in Summer 2018, in the post-revolutionary period.

In the past, the defense had repeatedly motioned the court to release Vardanyan from custody, but the court had denied these motions.

On November 25, 2015, the National Security Service of Armenia issued a statement that an “armed group” had been rendered ineffective in Yerevan.

According to the indictment, this 20-member “armed group” had planned to forcibly seize power in the country.