Will Obama use his influence?
The Committee for the Protection of Political Prisoners today sent an open letter to the presidents of the USA, France and Russia.
Your Excellencies,
The trial of prominent Armenian journalist, editor-in-chief of Haykakan Zhamanak daily, Nikol Pashinian starts on October 20, 2009.
On March 1, 2008, Armenia's authorities carried a gruesome and inhuman act using violence against peaceful demonstrators, shooting and injuring hundreds of unarmed people and killing at least ten. They dispersed the demonstrators protesting against election frauds and violence.
Following the deadly clashes a state of emergency was imposed in Armenia accompanied by restrictions of mass media, mass arrests of opposition members and illegal persecution of thousands of activists and supporters of the opposition.
Nikol Pashinian, who went in hiding after the March 1 events and surrendered to law- enforcement agencies on July 1, 2009, is illegally kept in prison and now stands trial on trumped-up charges of organizing mass riots.
Your Excellencies,
Hundreds of trials have heard in Armenia. Information about these shameful processes can be obtained from the ambassadors of your countries and the competent international organizations.
So far, the results are as follows:
1. No killer has been brought before court up to the present day
2. the charges filed against opposition (usurpation of power) have been refuted
3. 30 political prisoners have been pardoned under pressure of the opposition and international organizations
4. 17 political prisoners, including one French citizen are still kept in custody
5. Dozens of innocent convicts, try to administer justice through the European Court of Human Rights after having exhausted all means to achieve justice in their country,
Excellencies,
Today, when your countries have combined their efforts to resolve the problem of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian-Turkish relations, by a strange coincidence, your countries and international organizations have stopped the pressure on the regime of Serzh Sargsyan aimed at restoring democracy in Armenia and releasing political prisoners.
We are under the impression that an immoral bargain has been concluded and you close your eyes to flagrant and massive violations of human rights and obvious facts of defiance of democracy, in return for concessions from Sargsyan's regime.
Based on the foregoing, on behalf of relatives of the March 1 victims, on behalf of thousands of Armenian citizens, victims of tyranny and political persecution, we demand that you use the international prestige of your country and your personal credibility and make the Armenian authorities respect the rights and freedom of its citizens.
Committee for the Protection of Political Prisoners
