Gyumri mayor's son remanded in custody

The son of Gyumri Mayor Vardan Ghukasyan has been placed in two-month pretrial detention, Armenia’s Investigative Committee has confirmed.

Spartak Ghukasyan, who had been under house arrest, was arrested on Thursday outside the Investigative Committee’s Gyumri division, where he had been summoned for questioning in an ongoing criminal case.

Investigators say he is now being prosecuted under Article 297.2 of the Criminal Code, which covers hooliganism committed by a group of people using information or communication technologies.

Pastinfo reports that the case concerns comments Ghukasyan allegedly made after a recent court hearing in another criminal proceeding involving him. The Investigative Committee claims his statements contained insults.