Protestors urge release of Armenian political prisoners
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17 May 04
17 May: An initiative group of the “For and against civic will”
public organizations today staged another picket outside the
Prosecutor-General’s Office.
The aim of the action has not changed, i.e. the release of political
prisoners. Shayane Yesayan, a member of the Nor Hayastan [New Armenia]
public organization, says that the protest action will continue until
there are no political prisoners in Armenia.
She believes that one should not take seriously a statement by Deputy
Speaker of the National Assembly Tigran Torosyan that we have no
political prisoners in the country at all, whereas, there are 14 men
in Armenia. A list of them was submitted to journalists by members
of the Nor Hayastan.
The protest action was attended by Dzhemma Galstyan, the mother of
Suren Surenyants, a member of the Anrapetutyun Party and a political
prisoner.
She said that Suren Surenyants was in a poor health at present:
“We have repeatedly appealed to various instances, asking for the
transfer of Surenyants from the investigatory isolation ward of the
National Security Ministry to another place, however, our requests
remained unanswered.”
Surenyants’ mother considers that his issue can only be resolved
through the mediation of international organizations: “I am not
permitted to see my son because of a special instruction from the
prosecutor-general.”
At the end of the protest action, members of the initiative group
handed over a statement to the Prosecutor-General’s Office, which was
signed by 1,700 citizens, urging it to release the political prisoners.
