Yerevan: Court hands jail terms to Sasna Tsrer members

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction on Wednesday, February 24 announced verdicts in the case involving ten members of the Sasna Tsrer group, who stormed a police station in Yerevan in summer 2016, Shantnews.am reports.

The court handed a jail term of 7 years and 8 months to Pavel Manukyan, 7 years and 4 months to Vatuzhan Avetisyan, 7 years and 6 months to Mkhitar Avetisyan, 6 years and 6 months to Eduard Grigoryan, 7 years and 5 months to Gagik Yeghiazaryan, 7 years and 1 month to Areg Kyureghyan, 8 years and 2 months to Sedral Nazaryan, 25 years to Smbat Barseghyan, who is accused of killing a police officer, and 4 years and 11 months to Armen Bilyan. The latter however, was release on his own recognizance.

The group known as Sasna Tsrer (named after the Armenian epic "Daredevils of Sassoun") stormed a police patrol department in summer of 2016 and took everyone inside hostage.

Throughout the following days, the group released the captives one by one. After negotiations that lasted a little over two weeks, the gunmen agreed to surrender to law enforcement officers. Three police officers were killed throughout the crisis.