WIVES OF "POLITICAL PRISONERS" PROTEST IN ARMENIA’S CAPITAL
Aravot
Nov 21 2008
Armenia
"Protests"
Wives of political prisoners staged a protest in front of the
government building yesterday [20 November].
The wife of the [arrested] former minister of foreign affairs,
Aleksandr Arzumanyan, Melissa Brown, believes that the criminals are
those who "are inside the government building now". Standing under
their umbrellas in the rain, the women chanted their constant demand
raising their clenched fists: "Free, independent Armenia", "Freedom to
political prisoners", "Struggle, struggle till the end". They brought
with them pictures of their arrested husbands. The police blocked
the entrance to the government building – probably to protect our
"government people" against the claims of the wives of political
prisoners.
Yesterday [20 November] the committee for the Protection of Political
Prisoners and Persecuted Persons joined 24 political prisoners, who
went on a hunger strike in places of their detention. Eight members
of the committee took part in a one-day hunger strike without stopping
their daily activities. For instance, a human rights activist, Vardan
Harutyunyan, and a former political prisoner, Karapet Rubinyan,
took part in the protest near the government building yesterday
[20 November], as they believe that it is not worth holding a hunger
strike while sitting somewhere, especially when the Armenian government
fully ignores the hunger strike.
By this extreme way of struggle the hunger strikers are expressing
their protest against investigations and trials which have been
carried out with regard to the cases of political prisoners.
The commander of the Shushi [Susa] battalion [a volunteer battalion
which fought in the Karabakh war], Zhirayr Seyfilyan, joined the
hunger strike in his office – also preparing for a protest over the
Karabakh issue to be held near the Foreign Ministry office today. He
joined the hunger strike of the political prisoners only to support
them morally. He is confident, based on his personal experience, that
issues do not get solved by holding hunger strike in Armenia. Seyfilyan
does not pin his hope on the international community and advises
others not to do so.