ARMENIAN AUTHORITIES DETAIN HEAD OF PUBLIC ORGANIZATION ON COUP CHARGES

International Herald Tribune, France
The Associated Press
Dec 10 2006

YEREVAN, Armenia: Armenian authorities on Sunday detained the head of
a public organization accused of plotting a coup attempt, officials
and activists said.

Zhirair Sefilian, the citizen of Lebanon who heads For Protection of
Liberated Territories organization, is facing deportation on charges
of plotting to overthrow the government, said Armen Agaian, a leading
member of Sefilian’s group. Agaian rejected the charges.

An official at the Armenian National Security Service, who spoke on
condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the
media, confirmed Sefilian’s arrest but refused to elaborate on the
charges against him.

Sefilian is a veteran of the 1988-94 war in the disputed enclave of
Nagorno-Karabakh, which ended when Armenia-backed separatists drove
out Azerbaijan’s government forces.