Authorities complete pretrial probe in David Minasyan's case; defense raises timing concerns

The Armenian authorities have announced the completion of the preliminary investigation in the case of high school student David Minasyan, his lawyer said on Saturday, questioning the timing of the move and its potential impact on ongoing court proceedings.

Defense lawyer Lusine Martirosyan said the decision was communicated on a non-working day, describing it as unusual and suggesting it may be aimed at influencing a pending appellate review.

“Moments ago, despite it being a non-working day, the investigative body handling David Minasyan’s case announced the completion of the pretrial investigation,” Martirosyan said in a statement.

She added that the development could be intended to preempt a possible ruling by an appellate court on April 17 that might have resulted in Minasyan’s release.

Minasyan has been charged and placed in pretrial detention for two months following an incident at St. Anna Church involving Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.