Russia has cancelled the CIS interstate arrest warrant for former Armenian Defense Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan wanted in Armenia as part of a criminal case into the March 2008 events in capital Yerevan, Interfax reports, citing its sources.

“After studying the materials of the case against Harutyunyan charged over March 1, 2008 events, a decision has been made to drop the arrest warrant in the Russian territory,” the source said.

The source added that nothing threatens Harutyunyan in the Russian territory, but he still may be detained and handed over to Armenia if travelling to any CIS member state.

It also clarified that Moscow received the arrest and extradition request for Harutyunyan a while ago not from the Armenia Prosecutor General’s Office, but through international manhunt channels, with the arrest warrant featuring the ex-official’s Moscow residence address.

Armenia’s Special Investigative Service has pressed charges against Mikayel Harutyunyan for overthrowing the country’s constitutional order during the March 1-2, 2008 post-election crackdown in Yerevan, which left 10 people, including two police officers dead.