Pashinyan Asks for Journalist Colleagues’ Support in Reinstating his Right to Correspondence

Imprisoned journalist, chief editor of local daily Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) Nikol Pashinyan issued a statement in which he called on journalists to assist him in reinstating his right to receive and send correspondence.

Those who read the news are surely aware of the situation surrounding my correspondence in Artik penitentiary, Pashinyan writes. “During this time, in order to send letters from the penitentiary to the Haykakan Jamanak editors I’ve been forced to resort to other tricks. Nevertheless, my right to correspondence is under a state ban and the authorities deny that I’ve made attempts to send letters, despite prison chief V. Sargsyan currently holding 14 of my articles in 13 letters [envelopes]. Not wanting to repeat all that which is already known and made public, I, political prisoner Nikol Pashinyan, before the Armenian public and journalistic community, beginning from today, commit to submiting an envelope addressed to Haykakan Jamanak daily every business day to Artik prison staff — to send in the manner prescribed by law.

“This announcement doesn’t mean that I have not done the same till now. The purpose of this announcement is to focus on a zero point on the issue. I expect from my journalist colleagues that they will follow the fate of all envelopes already submitted today and that will be submitted on all business days to the Artik prison administration. If the prison administration will deny the fact of the existence of my letters, then I responsibly declare that it is an ordinary lie. I am repeating my commitment to send a letter on every business day, and I expect the support of my journalist colleagues in the work of reinstating my right to correspondence,” reads Pashinyan’s statement.

Pashinyan, 35, was among several prominent opposition figures who went into hiding in March 2008 following a government crackdown on supporters of former president Levon Ter-Petrossian demanding a re-run of a disputed presidential election. He surrendered to the authorities in July 2009 and was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison on charges of stirring up “mass disturbances” in Yerevan that left ten people dead.

The oppositionist will have to serve only half of the prison sentence because of a general amnesty declared by the authorities in June 2009. Both he and Ter-Petrossian’s Armenian National Congress consider the case politically motivated.