REGULAR ACTION OF PROTEST WITH DEMAND TO RELEASE ARRESTED POLITICIANS HELD NEAR RA PROSECUTOR GENERAL’S OFFICE

Noyan Tapan
April 18, 2008

YEREVAN, APRIL 18, NOYAN TAPAN. The wives and friends of opposition
activists and politicians arrested within the framework of the criminal
case instituted on the fact of March 1 events organized an action
of protest near the building of RA Prosecutor General’s Office on
April 18. The demonstrants demanded as soon as possible releasing
their relatives, who, according to them, were arrested purely for
their political views. Ruzan Khachatrian, the Spokesperson of the
People’s Party of Armenia, and Stepan Safarian, the Secretary of the
RA National Assembly Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction, had joined the
action participants. The latter in his interview to journalists said
that "no matter what grave mistakes the authorities have committed
by illegally imprisoning these people, nevertheless, they should
find strength in themselves and give up the strict position, which
is conditioned by their conviction about their own infallibility and
just the temptation to ground their actions."

After standing for about half an hour and voicing "Freedom!" some of
the demonstrants came up to the entrance of the Prosecutor’s Office
building, where Zhanna Ketikian, the Head of the Citizens Reception
Department, approached them. Handing her a letter containing
their demands the demonstrants asked when they will receive an
answer. Z. Ketikian said that she cannot say the exact term of the
answer and promised to give the letter to the Prosecutor General.

The demonstrants stated that unless they receive an answer they will
hold an action of protest near the Prosecutor’s Office building each
Friday. "I do not think that it can considerably assist problem’s
solution. In any case the judicial bodies work not under the influence
of compulsion, but within the law and it is not your making a noise
that should contribute to objective solution of this problem,"
Z. Ketikian stated.