Call to Join Rally Today, Even Those Who Don’t Agree with Pashinyan’s Views

A rally organized by local daily Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) will be taking place today at 3 pm near Saryan’s statue (close to the Opera) in Yerevan, in defense of imprisoned opposition journalist and Haykakan Jamanak chief editor Nikol Pashinyan. This news was conveyed by human rights defender Vardan Harutyunyan. 

According to him, journalists who attend do not necessarily have to agree with Nikol’s views, but as honest journalists, as Pashinyan’s colleagues, they are obligated to participate and to speak out against the harassment against him. 

“For a moment, think about how Nikol Pashinyan lives, when every second, even during sleep, he knows that he might be attacked. We have no other lever to defend Nikol Pashinyan other than raising [the issue],” said Harutyunyan. 

“So that after Nikol they don’t take each of us in turn, it’s all of our work to defend him,” he said, adding “By defending Nikol, we are defending ourselves.”

Note that on Jan. 19, 2010, the Court of General Jurisdiction in Armenia found Nikol Pashinyan guilty in the mass riots of Mar. 1, 2008, following the presidential elections in Yerevan, and sentenced him to seven years’ imprisonment. 

On Mar. 9, 2010, the Criminal Court of Appeal, by granting Pashinyan amnesty, cut his prison term by half. Both the defense and the prosecutor appealed this decision at the RA Court of Cassation, which revoked the appeals on May 5, 2010.

Pashinyan is currently serving his term at Kosh penitentiary (in Aragatsotn marz, province). 

As previously reported, a dispute between Pashinyan and one of his cellmates took place on Nov. 3. According to Pashinyan, after the verbal skirmish the cellmate attacked him, and during the 15 minutes of the scramble no prison guards approached them. This and many other facts indicate the deliberate nature of the incident, stressed Pashinyan.