Russia informed Armenian police about dropping arrest warrant for ex-defense minister, police chief says

Russia has notified the Armenian police of cancelling the arrest warrant for former Armenian Defense Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan, Police Chief Valery Osipyan told reporters after today’s Cabinet meeting.

He said he had been unaware that the ex-defense minister, wanted in Armenia as part of the March 1 criminal case, holds Russian citizenship.   

Osipyan refused to reply to other questions over the matter, adding police is ‘an apolitical structure.’

Russia announced about dropping the CIS interstate arrest warrant for Harutyunyan last week.  “After studying the materials of the case against Mikayel Harutyunyan charged over March 1, 2008 events, a decision has been made to drop the arrest warrant in the Russian territory,” Interfax reported, citing its sources.

Harutyunyan is wanted by Armenian law enforcement agencies under charges of overthrowing the country’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election crackdown in Yerevan, which left 10 people, including two police officers dead.