23:00, 18 June 2010

Protest action dated to year after amnesty held in Yerevan

Today, in a small square adjoining the building of the Armenian Philharmonic Society in the capital of Armenia, a protest action was held in defence of political prisoners. Its participants held a sit-in strike and demanded immediate release of 15 political prisoners remaining behind bars after the amnesty, which was announced right one year ago.

By various estimates, the protest action organized by the "Committee in Defence of Political Prisoners" brought together from 200 to 500 persons who took part in a sit-in strike: activists of opposition parties-members of the Armenian National Congress (ANC), public figures, family members of the imprisoned oppositionists and former political prisoners.

The protesters held slogans "Freedom!", "Freedom to political prisoners!" and portraits of imprisoned activists of the opposition. From time to time the sit-in strikers started shouting out, together with their surrounding supporters: "Freedom to political prisoners!", "Free and independent Armenia!", "Levon is our President!" and "Freedom!"

Source: CK correspondent