CALL TO RELEASE THE POLITICAL PRISONERS
LRAGIR.AM
15:28:39 – 05/06/2009
On May 28, 2009 Serzh Sarkisian called on political parties and on
the newly-created public council to submit their recommendations
on the necessity and conditions for an amnesty to his Cabinet. The
amnesty would concern opposition activists, including three members
of Parliament who supported the opposition and protested against
the results of 2008 presidential elections. A number of protesters
were arrested and detained on various charges in the wake of the
1st-of-March events, when the President declared a state of emergency.
‘If it turns out that there is a comprehensive need matured among
the society, I’ll use my Constitutional right and ask the National
Assembly to adopt a decision on amnesty’ – the Armenian President
reportedly stated.
The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Civil
Society Institute (CSI) have repeatedly called upon the Armenian
authorities to release all political prisoners, including those
deprived of their liberty in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March
2008. The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe formulated
a similar request in its resolutions 1609 and 1920.
Our organisations would like to renew their call and encourage the
President of Armenia to release all political prisoners and prisoners
of conscience in Armenia.