"IF THEY HAVE PRIDE, THEY WILL RESIGN"

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[06:57 pm] 20 November, 2008

The RA committee on defense of political prisoners and the persecuted
joined the 24 political prisoners who had declared a hunger strike
today in jailhouses and the eight members of the committee will
participate during work hours.

For example, Vardan Harutyunyan and Karapet Rubinyan participated
today in the demonstration in front of the Government building and
believe that it is not worth sitting somewhere and declaring a hunger
strike when the authorities don’t even pay attention to that.

They are expressing their protest with hunger strikes for the cases
that have ended, investigations and trials.

"All of the verdicts reached, including the verdicts of the
Kentron-Nork Nork communities’ general jurisdiction courts for the
case of Smbat Ayvazyan, are all just papers that are unjust. They
will perish in the course of time and be ridiculed," said Vardan
Harutyunyan. He remarked that the committee did not declare the
hunger strike.

"We are simply joining them and support the demonstrations of our
friends in jail."

Harutyunyan believes that hunger strikes are not a just way for
struggle in Armenia.

"Hunger strikes are just a way to express protest. We don’t think
that the authorities will resign by seeing us starve."

Karapet Rubinyan tends to differ. According to him, the authorities
may resign even in the result of the hunger strike, but under one
condition: if they have the pride in them to resign.

Taking into account the fact that the existing authorities neglect
the political prisoners and the demonstrations organized by their
supporters, including the hunger strike, Karapet Rubinyan is of the
opinion that a hunger strike had to be declared in any case.

Member of the RA committee on political prisoners and the persecuted,
commander of the Shushi separate squadron Jirair Sefilyan joined the
hunger strike in his office and is getting ready for the protest
scheduled for tomorrow near the Foreign Affairs Ministry building
for the Karabakh conflict.

He joined the political prisoners’ hunger strike just for support
and assures that nothing will be solved with a hunger strike.

Sefilyan has no hope in the international community. "It makes no
sense to send documents to international organizations because they
have never done nor will do anything good for us."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress