RA PUBLIC COUNCIL PROPOSES EXTENDING AMNESTY TO PEOPLE ARRESTED ON CASES OF 2008 MARCH 1 EVENTS, AS WELL
NOYAN TAPAN
JUNE 10, 2009
YEREVAN
YEREVAN, JUNE 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The RA Public Council (PC) at the June
9 sitting made a decision to apply to RA President Serzh Sargsyan
with a proposal of granting an amnesty. Hovhannes Hovhannisian, the
Chairman of the PC Committee on Issues of Civil Society Establishment,
reported at the June 10 press conference. According to him, a stormy
discussion over the issue of amnesty took place at the PC sitting,
in particular, extreme approaches on extending the amnesty to people
arrested on cases of 2008 March 1 events were voiced. H. Hovhannisian
said that some Council members spoke against granting an amnesty to
participants of mass disorders and some were unequivocally for. As a
result, according to H. Hovhannisian, it was decided for the purpose
of sowing solidarity and tolerance in society to propose the President
extending the amnesty to people arrested on the March 1 cases, as well.
PC will propose not granting an amnesty to people, who did not serve
punishment in the past by amnesty, but again committed a crime in
the future. Besides, according to H. Hovhannisian, no amnesty should
be granted to persons convicted for grave crimes, as well as for
rigging elections.
As to proper amnesty, according to PC representative, it can be
expressed by three ways: release of a prisoner, reduction of the
punishment term, change of kind of punishment.