Yerevan protesters demand to free political prisoners

At their action held near the UN office in Yerevan, opposition supporters condemned the practice of criminal prosecution of oppositionists and demanded to release political prisoners.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the participants of the July 15 protest action blamed authorities for the death of film producer Armen Grigoryan, who died in the courtroom from cardiac arrest. Oppositionists have noted that he was kept under arrest despite his health problems.

On July 19, the opposition held an action in front of the UN office in Yerevan in defence of more than 20 opposition supporters kept in custody, as organizers of protest actions assert, for political reasons, the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent reports citing a live broadcast by the "Yerkir.am" portal.

Today in Armenia, political prisoners are the people who had defeated authorities' candidates at local elections, who protested against the violation of national interests and made territorial concessions and the surrender of Nagorno-Karabakh, Sevak Nazaryan, the moderator of the action, has stated.

According to his version, the death of the film producer, Armen Grigoryan, in the courtroom was the result of his political persecution for the dissent. International structures should assess the political persecutions, Mr Nazaryan has added. "The reaction of the international community will be a deterrent for authorities and will help to avoid new illegal arrests," he has stressed.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on July 19, 2022 at 05:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.