Will amnesty be applied to political prisoners?
Most of our citizens hail Serzh Sargsyan's amnesty proposal, citing the country's unfavorable geopolitical position and inner political problems.
Today, A1+ conducted a poll to know our citizens' opinion on the President's decision. Most of our respondents said amnesty should be applied on the six political prisoners remaining in jail following arrests after the 2008 vote.
"No one can be sent to prison for his political views and straightforward statements," they said.
"The word "political prisoner" is to be omitted from our vocabulary. It is shameful for our country to have political prisoners," said pedagogue Garnik Asmaryan.
Artist Lilia Khachatryan thinks the authorities were forced to grant amnesty as a result of the recent dialogue with the opposition.
Engineer Arsen Ghambaryan says the authorities are simply trying to gain dividends and justify their future steps.
Diplomat Hrach Hovhannisyan says Armenia should try to restore its image and stay away from political prisoners.
"Amnesty has to be grounded. They need not pardon everyone automatically." he said.
On May 20, Serzh Sargsyan applied to the National Assembly with a proposal to announce amnesty on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence.
