Armenia: ORO slams supporter arrest as persecution ahead of electionsMarch 27, 2017 - 14:03 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The arrest of former Nagorno Karabakh military commander Samvel Babayan is a result of political persecution against supporters of Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanian (ORO) alliance, which is unacceptable during the campaign, the bloc’s number 1, former defense minister Seyran Ohanyan told reporters on Monday, March 27. Babayan who served as former minister of defence of Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh), the Liberation Army commander, was arrested with two others for smuggling Igla anti-aircraft missile system parts from Georgia, the Armenian national security service said. “There has been pressure on our alliance during all this period,” Ohanyan said, adding that Babayan is their combat friend and supporter. “We work through his lawyer who says there is no evidence based on the information collected so far. If there’s no evidence, I believe the arrest denotes political persecution against Samvel and our alliance.” Also, Ohanyan ruled out the possibility of his own arrest, describing similar remarks as disinformation. Babayan is an active supporter, but not a member of Ohanyan-Raffi-Oskanian bloc, which is led by Ohanyan and two former foreign ministers - Raffi Hovannisian and Vartan Oskanian. Top stories The Cabinet of Ministers decided on Thursday, November 9 to allocated AMD 120 million to arrange the gathering. Michael Roth believes sanctions must be put on the table after Baku‘s ethnic cleansing in Nagorno-Karabakh. The Yerevan City Council has elected Tigran Avniyan from the ruling Civil Contract as the mayor of the Armenian capital. The Armenian Parliament on Tuesday, October 3 voted to ratify the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court. Partner news | Turkey extends military presence in Azerbaijan The Turkish parliament has adopted a bill submitted by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to extend the mandate of Turkish troops. Russia to begin assessing migrant workers' speaking skills Rosobrnadzor is planning to change the Russian language exam for migrant workers and include an assessment of speaking skills U.S. doesn’t see Russia as contributing to peace in Caucasus Patel made the remarks when asked about the implications of Russia’s withdrawal of peacekeepers from Karabakh. Up to 1% cashback when shopping on Wildberries with IDBank cards IDBank is launching an exclusive campaign on Wildberries for online shopping enthusiasts. |