Heritage Party faction secretary says a group of parliamentarians stands ready to go bail for activist Vardges Gaspari

Armenian parliamentarians are ready to go bail for activist Vardges Gaspari to achieve that the measure of restraint against him is changed. Tevan Poghosyan, Secretary of the Heritage Party parliamentary faction, told a news conference on February 25.  He said Gaspari's lawyer appealed to the parliamentarian for support. "Khachatur Kokobelyan, Aram Manukyan, Hrant Baghratyan, Alexander Arzumanyan, Gagik Jhangryan, Nikol Pahsinyan are ready to do it," Poghosyan said. 

Earlier on Wednesday, Heritage Party Faction head Zaruhi Postanjyan said that the activist's health deteriorated in the penitentiary and that his cellmates are torturing him. She said that on February 24, he was even transferred to a psychiatric clinic, but due to the lawyers' efforts, he returned to Nubarashen penitentiary. Postanjyan also assured that Gaspari complained about his health condition to his lawyers. 

Minister of Justice Arpine Hovhannisyan said Gaspari did not complain about his health condition or conditions of his detention in Nubarashen penitentiary. He assured that even during the meeting with doctors Gaspari did not complain about his health condition, and he is in the cell with one more detainee, about whom he did not complain either.  However, Hovhannisyan promised to directly follow the situation. 

On Februarey 18, oppositionist Vardges Gaspari was arrested by the decision of the regular court of Shengavit administrative district of Yerevan. He was not present at the court session. Gaspari's lawyer David Gyurjyan thinks that the verdict delivered in the absence of the defendant is a violation of the law.  Following the court hearing, the law enforcers went to the activist's house and took him to the police station. The activist and his lawyer have already stated that they are going to take review against the judgment. Gaspari's traditional form of protest against the oligarchs and the police is to lie on the ground.  He has repeatedly been fined for such demonstrations.