23:00, 24 June 2009

Armenia: Gagik Dzhangiryan, ex-deputy general public prosecutor, is at large

On June 23, the door of the corrective establishment for criminals "Kentron" (former SIZO (pre-trial facility) of the KGB) opened, and under the amnesty act adopted on June 19 by the National Assembly of Armenia, Gagik Dzhangiryan, activist of the opposition and former deputy general public prosecutor, found himself at large.

"I wish commitment and will to all our comrades who are still behind bars but who'll soon be released. I promise," Mr Dzhangiryan told the journalists who rallied at the prison gate.

As to the amnesty declared by the authorities, the former deputy general public prosecutor has stated: "The amnesty adopted by the parliament has nothing to do with the events on March 1 last year. It's a sort of a 'half-pregnant' document adopted by the authorities under the pressure of the National Movement and European agencies."

When asked about his nearest plans, Gagik Dzhangiryan has answered: "I'm a rank-and-file soldier of the Armenian National Congress, ready to fulfil any order."

Author: Lilit Ovanisyan

Source: CK correspondent