The detention term of Alexander Arzoumanian, the former minister of foreign affairs of Armenia charged with money laundering, was prolonged for two more months by the July 2 decision of the first instance court of the Kentron and Nork-Marash districts of Yerevan, reported Noyan Tapan information agency. Mr. Arzoumanian’s lawyer, Hovik Arsenian, told the news source that his defendant is planning to appeal the decision.

The former foreign affairs minister and the co-founder of the “Citizens’ Resistance” opposition political movement was arrested on May 8 and received a two-month preliminary incarceration (until the results of the investigation become available and the final sentence is determined). He later appealed to the European Court of Human Rights on May 31, maintaining his innocence and stating that his rights to freedom, immunity and freedom of expression, which are laid out in Articles five and 10 of the Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, had been violated. Arzoumanian’s counsel Hovik Arsenian, as well as numerous prominent political figures in Armenia, have made public announcements denouncing the foreign minister’s arrest as one carried out on bogus accusations and as being politically motivated, citing its proximity to Armenia’s May 12 parliamentary elections.

This information was originally published July 2, 2007 (www.nt.am) .

-- 16.07.2007