Court rules to detain president of Narekatsi Art Union for 2 months.

The Court of First Instance of Nork-Marash administrative district ruled that Harutyunyan remain under detention for two months. 

Narek Harutyunyan is accused of evading paying a total of 109 million (approx. $283,000) drams in taxes. 

Following Harutyunyan’s arrest, his brother Saro Harutyunyan, issued a statement, saying his brother was arrested on false and baseless accusations. 

“There has not been a due [investigation] process; no one has brought any accusation against my brother, nor do they allow the release on bail. This is simply a psychological terror that must receive its deserved assessment,” said he.

Saro Harutyunyan also said that the aim of the arrest is to extort large sums from him.

If this case of abuse of power against a Diasporan Armenian goes unpunished, it will cause doubts with other Diasporan Armenian who want to help the homeland, he added. 

Activists created a group on the social networking website Facebook, calling on Armenian authorities to set him free.