“ARMENIA HAS EXHAUSTED THE RESOURCE OF POLITICAL PRISONERS”
07:31 PM | JUNE 14, 2013 | POLITICS
Keeping opposition activist Tigran Arakelyan in prison does not bring
honour to Armenia, says Vladimir Karapetyan, a senior representative
of the opposition Armenian National Congress.
Together with ANC activists, Karapetyan was outside the Prosecutor’s
Office to demand release for Tigran Arakelyan “We are looking forward
to changes and we shall continue our Friday protests as long as
Arakelyan is in custody,” he said.
ANC activists Tigran Arakelyan, Sargis Gevorgyan, Artak Karapetyan
and David Kiramijyan were taken into custody after an August 2011
standoff with police officers in a Yerevan park. They were charged
with hooliganism against a representative of law-enforcement body
and sentenced to 2-6 years in prison. Arakelyan received the longest
prison sentence for what the Armenian police say was a key role in the
incident. The three activists were later released with only Tigran
Arakelyan remaining in prison. All the four activists denied police
claims that they had attacked law-enforcement officers maintaining
public order in the city center. The Court of Cassation has remitted
the appeal back to the Court of Appeals for review. ANC considers
Tigran Arakelyan to be a political prisoner.
Vladimir Karapetyan stressed that it is shameful to have a political
prisoner in Armenia and political forces should struggle against
the phenomenon.
“Armenia has already exhausted the resource of political prisoners
and the international community will give a rough assessment to it,”
he concluded.