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Today, on February 7, 2018, the RA Administrative Court of Appeal rejected the appeal lodged by protester Vardan Balyan and his representative T. Siradeghyan, lawyer at the representative office of HCA Vanadzor in Yerevan.

Vardan Balyan is a participant in the assembly held on March 24, 2016, before the discussion of the motion on extending Gevorg Safaryan’s detention period.

With the claim filed with the RA Administrative Court, the RA Police requested to subject him to administrative responsibility under Points 11 and 15 of Article 180.1 of the Code on Administrative Offenses of the RA.

On November 28, 2016 the court upheld the claim partly, and the protester was fined in the amount of 70,000 AMD.

The RA Administrative Court of Appeal holds that the evidence of the case proves that V. Balyan participated in the protest on Mashtots Avenue on March 24, 2016, stepped onto the carriageway of Mashtots Avenue in Yerevan along with other individuals at around 1.45 pm, obstructing the normal course of traffic.

In accordance with the court ruling, stepping into the carriageway and breaching road traffic rules caused an emergency situation (disrupting public order), and requesting those on Mashtots Avenue to go out of that area emanated from the police competences of implementing preventive measures aimed at ensuring security and peaceful assembly and its normal course.