Arrest of 6-year-old Armenian boy in France resents locals

A six-year-old Armenian boy has been arrested in Upper Louara province, France, which has resented the locals, Paris-Match reported. 

Vazgen Asriyan was arrested on January 10 and was sent to prison in Nim, where his father David Asriyan was reportedly held over robbery charges since last week.

David Asriyan had left Armenia for Russia and then went to France after he was allegedly persecuted. But the French authorities denied him a political asylum in autumn 2010.

The boy's arrest has kicked up discontent among local residents. A woman has deemed the arrest "unacceptable". The locals even held a rally on Tuesday in support of the boy.

The police said Davit and Vazgen Asriyans are kept at the centre for detainees charged with administrative violations and are provided with all the necessary conditions for what it called a "family life."

It is also mentioned that before coming to France Davit used to play in one of Russia's football clubs. He warned several times that he wouldn't like to leave France as "Armenia is a dangerous place," while Russia isn't a proper place for him to live as he was politically persecuted there for participating in anti-Putin demonstrations.