Armenia’s Criminal Court of Appeals has upheld the acquittal of a man who threw an apple at Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.
The initial ruling was made on May 26, when the court declared Albert Arstamyan not guilty, finding insufficient grounds to prove hooliganism as defined under Article 297, Part 1 of Armenia’s Criminal Code.
The Prosecutor’s Office had appealed the decision on August 7. However, the appeals court rejected the motion, and Judge Vache Margaryan announced that the May 26 acquittal remains in force.
The ruling may be further appealed to the Court of Cassation within a month of receipt.
In August 2024, during the Prime Minister’s visit to a relative’s home at 2 Rubinyants Street in Yerevan, 74-year-old Arstamyan threw an apple at him and was charged with hooliganism.
