Gevorg Kostanyan: The Shant Harutyunyan case is not politically charged

 The Shant Harutyunyan case is not politically charged, Armenia's Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan told journalists on Thursday. 

In particular, he pointed out that the case is grounded by relevant evidence and video materials. 

According to Kostanyan, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan's statement that Harutyunyan and his friends were guilty was not a violation of assumption of innocence and did not affect the verdict. 

When asked why the law enforcers failed to display consistency in the Surik Khachatryan case, Kostanyan said that he had repeatedly expressed his position on this case. "As regards the misdeeds of his son, I can say that, anyway, if there are elements of crime and evidence, the relevant person will be brought to criminal responsibility", he said.  
To recall, Shant Harutyunyan was arrested following the 5 Nov 2013 developments in Liberty Square. The clashes in Liberty Square started at 5:30 PM when the demonstrators came across a police cordon. The police say that the demonstration was not sanctioned. As was reported earlier, the demonstrators were moving to Mashtots Park, when Shant Harutyunyan tried to cross the street against the traffic lights. The police's attempt to stop him ended in a skirmish. Harutyunyan and his son were detained.  Some demonstrators began blowing up bottles with gasoline. Earlier Shant Harutyunyan organized a picket in Liberty Square. He stood there with a poster saying "I am Declaring a Revolution!" A total of 38 people were detained, and many of them were arrested.

In the meantime, on September 7 the Investigation Service of the Armenian Defense Ministry stopped the criminal prosecution against Tigran Khachatryan, the son of Syunik Governor Surik Khachatryan (a.k.a.  Liska) and Zarzand Nikoghosyan, Liska's bodyguard. Both were charged with murder of Avetik Budaghyan, the former candidate for mayor of Goris.