ALEXANDER ARZUMANYAN: “POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THE 21ST CENTURY IS A SHAME”
by Nana Martirosyan
Wednesday, December 10, 12:21
“Political prisoners in the 21st century is a shame,” former foreign
minister of Armenia, MP Alexander Arzumanyan said in the parliament,
Wednesday.
He said the authorities in Armenia deny the existence of 15 political
prisoners in the country. Arzumanyan urged the Parliament to develop
definition of the term “political prisoner,” put it into circulation
and develop mechanisms to justify and recompense the persons subjected
to political persecution for the damage caused. The parliamentarian
believes it natural for the parliament majority represented by the
ruling Republican Party not to seek active discussions to define
that term.
He said the European Court for Human Rights will complete proceedings
in the case of the convicts after the March 1 incidents in Yerevan
and will adopt appropriate decisions at least in 10 months.
“So far, Shant Haroutiunyan and his friends – a total of 15 people –
are political prisoners,” Arzumanyan said.
Simultaneously to the discussions in the Parliament, the relatives
of the people who consider themselves as political prisoners were
protesting outside the parliament building.
Another part of the relatives who joined the parliamentary discussions
were outraged at the negligence by the pro-government officials who
either left the discussions after their speeches or were not present
at all.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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