The prosecution against the members of the opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) were was motivated, says Arthur Sakunts, the head of the Vanadzdor Office of the Helsinki Civil Assembly.

Speaking to Tert.am, the activist said the police originally knew those people involved in an August 2011 incident were members of the opposition alliance.

“When the police knew from the outset that they were dealing with ANC young activists, they turned more aggressive; so from that point of view that [the case] can be said to be of a political in nature. That is why I don’t think there has been a fair trial; what happened was a political punishment,” he said.

Tigran Arakelyan, a young member of the alliance, was sentenced to 6 years in prison on July 20. Other ANC activists, Sargis Gevorgyan, Artak Karapetyan and David Kiramijyan, were convicted for 2-3 years.

The young activists came into a clash with the police in the vicinities of Yerevan’s Swan Lake on August 9, 2011. Arakelyan was later charged with hooliganism and violence against a representative of the authorities (the police), and an attempt to  inflict damage to health or life. Karapetyan was charged with hooliganism and non-dangerous violence. Gevorgyan and Kiramijyan faced only hooliganism changes.