Epress.am News from Armenia
Local group Unity of Hayazn Youth launched a petition today to ask the Armenian president to grant Armenian citizenship to Jirair Sefilian, who was the commander of the Shushi battalion during the Nagorno-Karabakh War and was awarded the First Degree Order of “Martakan Khach” (Fighting Cross).
Note, Sefilian, a French citizen, currently resides in Yerevan and is better known these days as one of the founders of the Sardarapat civic movement. He moved to Armenia in 1990 specifically to participate in the Nagorno-Karabakh War.
Unity of Hayazn Youth, according to a press statement issued by the group, began the petition on the threshold of Sefilian’s 44th birthday (he was born on Jul. 10). The collected signatures will then be sent to RA President Serzh Sargsyan.