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“PETITION FOR PARDON IS EQUAL TO HOLDING SOMEBODY TO RANSOM'

Politics


Under a December 3 decree of Serzh Sargsyan three persons imprisoned under the case of March 1 were granted a presidential pardon. According to the Spokesman for the President Samvel Farmanyan the President had taken into consideration their petitions for pardon, criminal record and other factors.


“With a decree dated December 3rd President Serzh Sargsyan granted pardon to three detained persons – Edward Ashughyan, Arman Margaryan and Artur Nazaryan, who were imprisoned for 3-3.5 years for participating in the disorders in Yerevan on March 1, showing resistance to the police and committing other acts of violence.


When taking the decision to sign the decree on amnesty, the President of the republic took into consideration their requests of amnesty to the President, lack of previous convictions, circumstances of the criminal case, as well as family circumstances. The President has always been ready to consider the requests for pardon. There has been no change in these approaches”said Farmanyan.


The Coordinator of the Center for Legal Assistance to Political Prisoners Armen Khachatryan told A1+ that the indictees are not affiliated with any party and were not Ter-Petrosyan’s proxies either during the pre-election campaign or during the presidential election.


“They filed a petition for pardon avoiding 3-3.5 years in prison and the threat hanging on their heads. This can be considered as a ransom taken from a hostage.”


Armen Khachatryan says that the authorities continue keeping people under threat as they do not review prisoners’ restraints and simply extort petitions for pardon from innocent people.


Remind that the Armenian National Congress issued a statement which holds: “The regime’s emissaries visit prisons and make the political prisoners give up their further intentions, break their political activeness and choose between the right to live and the obscure prospect to be tortured.


“The authorities’ steps further deepen the gap between the society and the regime,” runs the statement of the Congress.