In Armenia, custody terms for two oppositionists prolonged

Courts in Armenia have prolonged today the custody terms for two oppositionists - ex-Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Alexander Arzumanyan and Head of the Board of the Party "Armenian Nationwide Movement" (ANM) Ararat Zurabyan.

We remind you that Alexander Arzumanyan who headed the electoral office of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, and Ararat Zurabyan were arrested on March 10.

Arzumanyan and Zurabyan were accused of usurpation of state power and participation in mass disorders. The custody term was extended by two months.

The "ARMENIAToday" Agency reports that currently about 30 members of the Armenian Nationwide Movement are still kept in custody.

The "Caucasian Knot" has already reported that the French Society of Armenian Advocates and Lawyers (FSAAL), who held a research and observation mission in Armenia on May 7-12, published a report on the events in February-March 2008 in Yerevan.

The report, in particular, mentions the oppositionists whose custody term was extended today.

"Alexander Arzumanyan, head of the electoral office of Levon Ter-Petrosyan, is kept behind bars for more than two and a half months. During this term, he never talked to inspector, and the reason of his custody is not clear to him," the report marks.