ONLY ARGUMENT OF KEEPING ZHIRAYR SEFILIAN UNDER CUSTODY IS HIS BEING FOREIGN CITIZEN, LAWYER VAHE GRIGORIAN SAYS
Noyan Tapan
Feb 26 2007
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 26, NOYAN TAPAN. The only motivation of keeping
Zhirayr Sefilian, the Coordinator of Defence of Liberated Territories
public initiative, under custody is the circumstance of his being a
foreign citizen. His lawyer, Vahe Grigorian made such a statement at
the February 26 press conference.
In his words, this was the motivation of Appeal Court on Criminal and
Military Cases for its keeping unchanged on February 23 the first
instance court’s decision on rejecting the petition to replace the
pawn by arrest. V. Grigorian reminded that before being arrested
Zhirayr Sefilian had repeatedly applied to the President for
receiving citizenship, but in vain. While, in V. Grigorian’s words,
according to Article 11, RA Constitution, foreigners of Armenian
origin receive citizenship of Armenia by simplified order, which,
however, does not work in case of Z. Sefilian. V. Grigorian added
that Article 301 of RA Criminal Code, which determines criminal
liability for making public appeals for forcibly seizing the power
or overthrowing the constitutional order "is used by law enforcement
bodies selectively." According to his observation, for the present,
only oppositionists have been called for liability by the above
mentioned article. Besides, as V. Grigorian emphasized, sharper
appeals than Sefilian’s appeal "let’s be organized" are voiced by
press and TV every day.