NATIONAL YOUTH CENTER CALLS ON PRESIDENT OF NKR T0 RELEASE SAMVEL BABAYAN

YEREVAN, March 22 (Noyan Tapan). The “National Youth Center” public
organization sent an open letter to President of NKR Arkadi Ghukasian,
in which it calls on to set free Samvel Babayan, a lieutenant-general
sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment. Condemning the attempt upon the
life of the President of NKR, which took place on March 22 2000, the
organization expresses anxiety in connection which such attitude to
Samvel Babayan, a national hero, who has a great contribution to the
formation of the army and has rendered exceptional services to the
motherland. As Norayr Norikian, the Chairman of the “National Youth
Center,” announced during the March 22 meeting at the “Azdak” club of
the “Constitutional Right” Union, the organization is independent, it
doesn’t carry out the state order and considers the problem
exceptionally from moral point of view. He menioned that the warlike
hysteria of Azerbaijan, the destructive position occupied by it in the
issue of the settlement of the Karabakh conflict show the intention of
this country to solve the Karabakh problem by means of war. According
to Norikian, keeping of the national hero in arrest is unacceptable in
such conditions. Norayr Norikian said that after receiving the answer
from Arkadi Ghukasian the “National Youth Center” will as well send an
open letter to RA President Robert Kocharian. The members of the
organization will as well apply to MPs. Starting from today the
members of the organization have begun collection of signatures in
favor of releasing Samvel Babayan.