Editor’s note: The following is a translated and republished statement from ARFD.am. Translation from Armenian by our team; minor edits for clarity. Headline retained from the original.
Today, November 20, a protest action took place in front of the Prosecutor General’s Office in support of all political prisoners.
The action was held under banners and slogans reading: “Freedom for political prisoners,” “We are against dictatorship,” and “The authorities of the Republic of Armenia are enemies of democracy and free speech.”
In advance of the protest, a large number of police officers were brought to the area around the Prosecutor General’s Office.
“We place no hope in the prosecutors, investigators and judges who have handed over their conscience and soul to Nikol, because they have proved that the judicial and legal system, in Nikol Pashinyan’s hands, has become a blunt instrument for establishing one-man rule in the country, for carrying out repression, for jailing people on false and fabricated charges,” Ishkhan Saghatelyan, representative of the ARF Supreme Body of Armenia and MP of the ‘Hayastan’ faction, told reporters before the action.
According to Ishkhan Saghatelyan, they believe that if Nikol Pashinyan is allowed to “digest” each new arrest and act of repression, he will not stop and will continue. “Therefore, the violence of these authorities must be countered by the will of the people. There are more than five dozen political prisoners in the country today, who are deprived of their freedom exclusively because they have their own views, are fighting for Armenian identity, and do not reconcile themselves with the anti-Armenian policy pursued by today’s authorities.”
According to ARF member and “Hayastan” faction MP Garnik Danielyan, “The entire legal system is under scrutiny, and there are very few judges who are ready to make independent decisions. This does not mean we should not struggle, and this action is proof that people from different layers of our society who, until now, were speaking about injustice ‘from behind the trees’ must unite. This is the best chance. There must be popular pressure so that these authorities understand that they will not be the ones to decide the future of our people.”
ARF member and “Hayastan” faction secretary Artsvik Minasyan said in his speech that they were in front of the Prosecutor’s Office because it is this body that is violating the supreme law, the Constitution.
“According to the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, the Office of the Prosecutor General is the only and highest body endowed, on behalf of the state, with the exclusive authority to carry out criminal prosecution, and it is obliged to ensure the legality of the punishments and coercive measures being applied,” he said.
Addressing the prosecutors, Artsvik Minasyan urged them to fulfill their professional duties and the oath they took to unfailingly uphold the Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.
He reported that they have circulated a draft parliamentary statement “On political prisoners in the Republic of Armenia and the protection of their rights,” within the framework of which hearings will be held on November 26. Representatives of international organizations have also been invited to the hearings in order to inform them about what is happening in Armenia. The letter of invitation was also delivered to the Prosecutor General’s Office.
After the protest, the march moved toward the Shengavit General Jurisdiction Court, where the trial of Bishop Bagrat and 18 “righteous” co-defendants was taking place.
During the march, participants chanted: “Freedom for political prisoners.”
In front of the General Jurisdiction Court, ARF Armenia Supreme Body member and “Hayastan” faction MP Gegham Manukyan stated: “Through these years of struggle, our political prisoners have come to show the whole world that Armenian society has not reconciled itself to denial, concessions, betrayal, defeat, to the policy pursued by these authorities. They have come to try to wipe from all our foreheads — from our people, from this generation — the stigma that, years later, future generations would otherwise brand us with, that we accepted all this.”
“Although the participants of the action keep repeating ‘Freedom for political prisoners,’ this does not mean only the freedom of walking out of prison, but justice, the restoration of rights, and the elimination of political persecution,” he said.
“Our compatriots have come here so that, through the faces of these law-enforcement officers, they can once again warn all law-enforcement officers, prosecutors, and representatives of the NSS investigative bodies that the illegalities committed today and yesterday will not be forgiven by anyone. No one will be exonerated by writing a letter of resignation, leaving the service, or pleading innocence the next day. That is why there is only one demand: stop committing illegalities,” Gegham Manukyan said.
In front of the General Jurisdiction Court, speeches were also delivered by ARF member and “Hayastan” faction MP Garnik Danielyan, “Mer Dzevov” movement member Artur Mikaelyan, and Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) deputy chairman Armen Ashotyan.
