MAJORITY OF THOSE GRANTED PARDON WERE SHOP PLUNDERERS AND NOT POLITICAL ACTIVISTS, SDHP CHAIRWOMAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Jan 14, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The Armenian authorities do not
know what to do in the issue of political prisoners: by releasing
the imprisoned activists, they will get into one trouble, whereas
by keeping them in custody – into another, the chairwoman of the
Social-Democrat Hunchakian Party (SDHP) Lyudmila Sargsyan said during
a talk with NT correspondent.

In her words, prior to a visit of the PACE Monitoring Committee
co-rapporteurs John Prescott and Georges Colombier to Armenia, "the
authorities tried to make a gesture": they granted pardon to 9 persons
imprisoned in the March 1 case. However, according to L. Sargsyan,
the majority of those granted a pardon were not political activists
but people who plundered shops and committed acts of hooliganism on
March 1 on the authorities’ demand.

Speaking about the PACE hearing on Armenia to be held on January
29, she said that the authorities will not succeed in escaping
sanctions. "It is with pain that I am saying that because the sanctions
will affect our country’s rating. The authorities should realize that
they are also punished," L. Sargsyan concluded.