PACE Co-Rapporteurs call Armenian authorities to release those who did no violence on March 1, 2008

John Prescott and George Colombier, Co-Rapporteurs of the Monitoring Commission for Armenia of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) have addressed the Armenian authorities with an appeal to set free those detainees who did not take part in violent actions on March 1, 2008. This is reported in a statement promulgated today by the press service of the Council of Europe.

The Co-Rapporteurs remark that it is too early to give a full estimate of the amendments made by the Parliament of Armenia in Articles 225 and 300 of the Criminal Code. "We hope that these amendments will contribute to reducing political disputes around the criminal cases initiated on the events on March 1, 2008," said Messrs Prescott and Colombier, having reminded about the PACE's request to release all the persons, now in custody, who did no violence during the 2008 protest actions.

The PACE officials are convinced that any further stay of these detainees in custody will damage the dialogue between the authorities and the opposition and, ultimately, normalization of political life in Armenia. "We hope that the authorities will change their attitude and carefully consider our suggestion to amnesty those defendants on the events of March 1 who didn't take part in violent actions," the Co-Rapporteurs have emphasized.

Yesterday, Thomas Hammarberg, High Commissioner of the Council of Europe on Human Rights, expressed his confidence that charges in the so-called "Case of Seven" had and - naturally - have no actual justification and look very suspicious. According to his story, the only way out with chances to quit the deadlock and turn this sad page of Armenian history over is to announce amnesty.