Will HAK stage a sit-in?
Three political prisoners - Shmavon Galstyan, Sargis Hatspanyan and Murad Bojoyan - have not been released under the general amnesty declared by the Armenian authorities last week, said Levon Zurabyan, a spokesman for the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK).
The amnesty proposed by President Serzh Sargsyan on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence has led to the release of opposition activists Sasun Mikayelyan and Nikol Pashinyan. By declaring an amnesty, the authorities addressed HAK's key demand addressed to Serzh Sargsyan. HAK also demanded to lift the ban on opposition rallies in Yerevan's Liberty Square and renew official inquiry into the March 2008 unrest.
"HAK will not start a dialogue with the authorities unless they release all the political prisoners before HAK's May 31 rally," Zurabyan stressed.
Asked whether HAK intends to start a sit-in if the authorities fail to meet their demand, the HAK representative said, "We shall speak about our plans and intentions during the May 31 rally."
