Arrest warrant for Ernest Vardanyan expires today

The arrest warrant for journalist Ernest Vardanyan, who is accused of state betrayal and espionage for Moldova by the Transnistrian authorities, expires today, August 4. The jurist of “Promo-Lex” Association Pavel Postica, after talking with the journalist's wife Irina Vardanyan on the phone, told Info-Prim Neo that, most probably, the arrest warrant will be extended for another 30 days. Pavel Postica said the date of the hearing is not known. On July 2, when the arrest warrant for Ernest Vardanyan was extended, neither Vardanyan's lawyer nor the OSCE Mission knew about the hearing, while his wife was announced one hour before it. Ernest Vardanyan was arrested in Tiraspol on April 7 on suspicion he had been spying for Moldova. He faces 20 years behind bars. A Transnistrian TV channel earlier broadcast a recording with Vardanyan admitting his guilt and saying he will cooperate with the investigators. The Moldovan constitutional authorities commented that the journalist made the statements under pressure.