General Mikael Arutyunyan declared wanted in Armenia

Mikael Arutyunyan, a former head of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia, who left office after the "velvet revolution", was put on the wanted list under the case of the dispersal of protests in Yerevan in 2008. Narek Sargsyan, a nephew of the third president of Armenia, is also wanted.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on July 3, a criminal case was opened on the violent overthrow of the constitutional order in connection with the events in Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008.

Valery Osipyan, the head of the Armenian Police, has noted that it had not been established yet, in which country Arutyunyan is in, the "News-Armenia" reports.

Another defendant in the case, Yuri Khachaturov, the Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO), was released on bail.

The main defendant, Robert Kocharyan, was under arrest from July 27 to August 13, until the Court of Appeal reversed the arrest decision, citing Kocharyan's immunity as a former president.

Narek Sargsyan was put on the wanted list after law enforcers found drugs and weapons in his apartment.

Besides, on July 7, a brother of the former president, Levon Sargsyan, accused of illegal enrichment, was declared wanted by the court; and on July 11, the court in Yerevan arrested another nephew of ex-president, Aik Sargsyan, accused of an attempted murder.