March Protestors in Support of Nikol Pashinyan Appeal to Council of Europe
Tert.am
12:09 – 23.01.10
Around 100 youth from the Armenian National Congress held a protest
march yesterday in defense of Haykakan Zhamanak (`Armenian Times’)
chief editor, political prisoner Nikol Pashinyan. Police officers
approached organizers prior to the start of the march to clarify the
route, and to remind demonstrators to stay on the sidewalk and not to
chant offensive slogans directed at the country’s governing
authorities.
The youth marched toward the General Prosecutor’s office, where they
were joined by activists who congregate there every Friday, demanding
the release of political prisoners. The combined group rallied in
front of the office for a few minutes, chanting `Free Political
Prisoner Nikol Pashinyan!’ and then set off toward the Council of
Europe Armenia office.
At the Council of Europe (CoE) office, demonstrators handed a letter
to Vahagn Muradyan, CoE Information Office Deputy Director and PR
Specialist. As told to Tert.am by HIMA Youth Initiative member Arayik
Harutyunyan, in the letter, a number of youth organizations have asked
the Council of Europe to be attentive and take action so that Armenia
fulfills its obligations which it has committed to before the Council
of Europe.
The signatories of the letter are also demanding that all those
resolutions that have been adopted, connected with the events of March
1, 2008, as well as Armenia’s political prisoners, be implemented and
that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE)
oversee the process so that all political prisoners can be released.
`Here, in this document, we have noted all those made-up facts in
Nikol’s case. In particular, the unlawful activities of police during
the well-known October 23, 2007 march, at which time they had
announced that Nikol was wanted and with which they arrested him and
with which [his guilt] was justified. And second, we mentioned the
March 1 case, that not a single fact was brought forth which would
prove Nikol’s guilt. And all the charges, which were raised in his
case, are made-up and instigated by the authorities,’ said
Harutyunyan.
>From the Council of Europe office, protestors marched down Amiryan,
Mashtots and Moskovyan streets. They had prepared numerous pamphlets
with Nikol’s photograph on them, which they distributed to passers-by.
Demonstrators then arrived at the Central Electoral Commission
offices, where they shouted `Shame, shame!’ and `Criminals!’
Police and representatives of the Human Rights Defender’s office were
closely following the march, which concluded at the Armenian National
Congress offices.