Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenian National Congress (HAK) youth activists on Monday demonstrated near the Aram Khachatryan statue (outside the Opera building) in Yerevan, protesting what they say is unlawful activity by the police, as well as demanding the release of fellow activist Tigran Araqelyan who was charged with violence against a representative of the authorities and sentenced to two months pre-trial detention.
The opposition youth activists yesterday held several placards with inscriptions such as “Freedom to Tigran Araqelyan”; “Tigran, we’re with you — [Armenian Police Chief] Alik Sargsyan, criminal hooligan”; “Armenia without political prisoners”; “You’re next”; “Ben Ali, Mubarak, Gaddafi, [Armenian President] Serzh Sargsyan”; “No to a police state”; “Armenia without Serzh [Sargsyan]”; and “Your indifference gives way to new iniquity”.
Speaking to Epress.am, HAK representative Vladimir Karapetyan described his contact with police during the demonstration.
“During the demonstration, deputy chief of Kentron [“Central”] police division Arayik Petrosyan approached me and, looking directly at the poster with the words ‘[Armenian Police Chief] Alik [Sargsyan], hooligan,’ told me we can demonstrate, but he only requests that we don’t shout, don’t chant that which is written on the posters. That is, expressing solidarity with those posters which we have,” he said.
Joining demonstrators later was HAK representative, chief editor of local opposition daily Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) Nikol Pashinyan.
“Today many are approaching us and asking whether we hope to put pressure on the authorities or on any other body, so that they release Tigran Araqelyan. Our most important hope is the following: we are here today as citizens of Armenia to tell the criminal regime in Armenia that every Republic of Armenia citizen is a potential political prisoner… Today in Armenia, for Serzh Sargsyan’s criminal regime, the Republic of Armenia citizen doesn’t exist. And we are here today, in the first place, to note that even the prospect of becoming a political prisoner won’t stop us in our struggle and beneath the threat of becoming a political prisoner once again, we will continue our struggle — to remove the criminal regime in Armenia,” he said through the megaphone.
Continuing, Pashinyan said they will be relentless in their struggle and cited as an example, Tigran Araqelayn, who “in prison likewise won’t stop fighting.”
“An example of this is also Vardges Gaspari, who only hours ago was released from prison and today raises his disagreement with the existence of an immoral and illegal regime in Armenia,” said Pashinyan.
Recall, Gaspari, also a HAK activist, was arrested last Thursday while protesting with the civic initiative group “The Army in Reality” outside the Armenian government building. He was charged with hooliganism and violence against a representative of the authorities, and released on bail two days ago.