Epress.am News from Armenia
History shows that timid nations become worthy of neither freedom nor a happy and prosperous life, read imprisoned political activist Shant Harutyunyan's message, which was distributed to supporters at a rally in Liberty Square on Sunday to commemorate his birthday.
Harutyunyan, who was imprisoned just before an anti-government march on Nov. 5, amids calls for a revolution by any means necessary, stressed that in recent months the Ukrainian people heeded his calls for a revolution carried out with sticks, rods, and Molotov cocktails. According to Harutyunyan, if a criminal regime persists in a country, revolution can turn into reality only through such methods.
Organizers said Sunday's rally to mark Harutyunyan's birthday was dedicated to political prisoners throughout Armenia's history, including Harutyunyan among their list of political prisoners.
At the start of the rally, at 1 pm, a group of police officers approached organizers and asked them to leave in 15 minutes, explaining that the rally was not authorized. One of the organizers, Vrezh Zatikyan, said that the day before he met with Police Colonel Valeriy Osipyan and they came to an agreement, that the rally could be held. One of the conditions, according to Zatikyan, was to refrain from consuming alcoholic beverages.
However, at Liberty Square on Sunday, Osipyan denied that there was such an agreement and ordered the removal of a table resting on which was a huge cake with the tricolor Armenian flag and the inscription "Armenia Without Political Prisoners". Stuck on the cake were photos of political prisoners in Armenia, according to organizers.
Rally participants asked the police if the table has to be removed, what should they do with the cake? Osipyan advised them to hold it in their hands. The police colonel said if they allow Shant Harutyunyan's birthday to be celebrated in Liberty Square, it might become a precedent and then everyone might want to celebrate their birthday in the square.
In any case, police waited till the rally was over, during which time rally participants cut the cake and distributed the pieces, sung patriotic songs, and read works by Armenian poets dedicated to freedom.
