Imprisoned oppositionists call on Armenian ombudsman to resign

YEREVAN , JANUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. "We, the political prisoners of the
Republic of Armenia, strongly protest against the RA ombudsman Armen
Harutyunian’s recent actions and behavior incompatible with his post,"
a joint statement of the imprisoned oppositionists reads.

According to them, A. Harutyunian must be the first to give an
assessment and condemn the political persecutions of thousands of
people and the fact of the existence of more than a hundred political
prisoners, and to respond to "about a hundred political trials on
trumped-up charges", hundreds of cases of violation of human rights and
freedoms every day, etc.

The authors of the statement say that contrary to his rank and official
duties, A. Harutyunian has become openly engaged in protection of the
regime and covering up its illegalities.

"… when he announces his program of monitoring the trial on "the case
of the seven", he just makes an attempt to consider the illegal trial
of the people recognized as political prisoners to be natural and
normal, to gain time for the regime and save it once again from the
expected PACE sanctions. The guilty attitude of the ombudsman to the
violence committed recently against political prisoners in their places
of imprisonment is blameworthy. Instead of demanding an immediate
initiation of criminal proceedings in connection with these shameful
facts, he has become involved in an internal investigation. He has also
shown the same guilty indifference in the case when the political
prisoners by means of torture are forced to write applications for
pardon to the person who holds the post of Armenian president, and in
this way, in essence, they will admit the crimes they did not commit
and will lose status of political prisoner," is said in the statement
which calls on A. Harutyunian to resign.