DON’T EVEN DARE TO COMPARE

Hayots Ashkhar Daily
16 Oct 2008
Armenia

"Are there political prisoners in our country? What is the difference
between today’s detainees and the activists of Dashnaktsutyun party
who were imprisoned in the 90-ies?"

Alvard Petrosyan’s answer to this question during the press conference
yesterday was rather abrupt. "Don’t even dare to compare Alik
Arzumanyan’s detention with Hrant Margaryan’s. They charged this
person with unimaginable things – a person who was ready to die for
his country. Is Armenian Pan National Movement closed? No! So there
is no comparison. Did they close dozens newspapers? No!

For me it is intolerable (I don’t want to use a ruder word) to compare
these people. We were the ones to bear the fruits of the earthquake,
blockade, war, cold and dark, days. And political terror was added
to all this. No, really, there is no comparison."