Confirmed: Nikol Pashinyan’s Prison Term Increased by 5 Months

In a court session at Kosh penitentiary today, imprisoned opposition journalist, Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) chief editor Nikol Pashinyan said the decision to change the term of his sentence is connected to the wish by Armenian authorities to restrict his political and journalistic activities. 

Note that the court today decided not to change Pashinyan’s sentence term, overruling the appeal by Pashinyan’s attorneys.

Recall that on May 25, 2010, head of Nubarashen penitentiary Tigran Navasardyan stated that an error was made in calculating Pashinyan’s term and in order to rectify that error, it was decided to increase Pashinyan’s term by 5 months. 

Pashinyan’s attorneys demand that calculating their client’s prison term should be done according to the relevant legislation. Recall that Pashinyan surrendered to police in July 2009 and was subsequently sentenced to seven years in prison for  “organizing mass disturbances” following the Armenian presidential elections in February 2008. However, he will have to serve only half of his prison sentence because of a general amnesty declared by the authorities.

His prison term has been extended by 5 months because the time he spent in prison until the ruling on his case was announced is not being accounted for.

Pashinyan’s attorneys appealed to the court to annul Navasardyan’s decision, particularly since months ago, the department in charge of “supervising the implementation of punishment and other means of enforcement measures” at the RA Prosecutor General’s office had said Navasardyan’s decision was unlawful and must be annulled, however, during a court session two days ago, a representative from the Prosecutor General’s office considered the decision to be, in fact, right. 

As reported by an Epress.am journalist, during the session today, Pashinyan said that if his prison term is defined correctly, then he should be released on Jan. 1, 2013; however, as it stands, he won’t be released till May 2013. 

According to Pashinyan, if (Armenia’s current president) Serzh Sargsyan runs in the 2013 presidential elections (presumably implying if he doesn’t resign or is not ousted by then), then by May 2013, those elections will be over. According to the imprisoned journalist, the authorities, by extending his term till May 2013, are attempting to prevent him from participating in pre-election processes. 

“I want to disappoint Serzh Sargsyan. It’s not possible to silence me. Whether I’m in prison or in a punishment cell, free or imprisoned, it’s the same, I am going to fight for a free and happy Armenia,” he said, adding that over the past few days he has been unable to write since he has not been provided with a paper and pen. 

Note that Pashinyan, 35, was among several prominent opposition figures who went into hiding in March 2008 following a government crackdown on supporters of Armenia’s former president Levon Ter-Petrossian demanding a re-run of the disputed presidential elections. Both Pashinyan and Ter-Petrossian’s Armenian National Congress (HAK) consider the case politically motivated.