Arsen Artsruni to be released
Arsen Artsruni, who had been sentenced to life in prison, will be released in February. He was included in the "Dro" case that caused uproar in the 1990s and was sentenced in 1996.
Artsruni's attorney Narine Rshtuni confirmed the news during an interview with "A1+" and noted that there are all the preconditions for his release. However, the problem is that there is a need for a trial, and that is currently being delayed.
Narine Rshtuni informed that Artsruni's release was made possible after the amendment in the Criminal Code. The point of the article by which Arsen Artsruni was sentenced in 1996 has been removed from the Criminal Code.
Arsen Artsruni was sentenced by Article 72 of the RA Criminal Code, 17-100 Articles and Point 8 of Articles 17-99, which correspond to the first part of Article 222 of the Criminal Code, Part 1 of Articles 38-104, and Point 15, Part 2 of Articles 38-104.
On 8 August 2006, the first instance court of the Erebuni and Nubarashen community in Yerevan examined RA Deputy Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangiryan's petition to reconsider the verdict on prisoner Arsen Artsruni and making it correspond to the RA Criminal Code adopted on 18 April 2003. After examining the petition, the court ruled to uphold it, but made a mistake in the verdict and added another point, that is, Point 1, Part 2 of Article 104. Artsruni's attorney complained about the decision, but the complaint was denied by Erebuni and Criminal Court of Appeals.
Narine Rshtuni reminded that Arsen Artsruni hadn't killed anyone and that he was included in the case as a provoker. However, he was sentenced for provoking two different murders.
According to the lawyer, the Erebuni court announced its verdict by copying and pasting a part of the text of the verdict and it had done it so clumsily that Arsen Artsruni's name had been printed as Robert Sahakyan.
"We had been fighting since June 2011, and now we are waiting for the ruling of the Court of Appeals," Narine Rshtuni said.
Only after that will it be possible see Arsen Artsruni in liberty after 17 years of imprisonment.
