WORKING GROUP FORMED BY INSTRUCTION OF ARMENIAN OMBUDSMAN VISITS
ARRESTED ZHIRAYR SEFILYAN AND HIS ASSISTANT

Yerevan, December 16. ArmInfo. A working group that was formed by the
instruction of Armenian Ombudsman Armen Haroutunyan visited Zhirayr
Sefilyan and his assistant Vardan Malkhasyan at the penitentiary
Yerevan-Kentron, Friday. To recap, Sefilyan and Malkhasyan have been
arrested for public calls for force change of power in
Armenia. Zhirayr Sefilyan (a citizen of Lebanon) occupies the post of
the Coordinator of "Union of Armenian Volunteers" public and patriotic
initiative, Head of the public and patriotic organization "For
protection of liberated territories."

Armenian Ombudsman press-service reports the working group took first
hand view of the conditions the arrested are kept in. Zhirayr Sefilyan
and his assistant were not dissatisfied with the treatment of the
penitentiary officers.

However, they were dissatisfied that the court chose the arrest as a
measure of restraint. They think they will not affect the
investigation process if left at large. They called the arrest
groundless. Zhirayr Sefilyan said all the speeches made at the meeting
of the organization "For protection of liberated territories" were
recorded and are kept by the National Security Council.