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WHICH GOVERNMENT ACCEPTS THAT THERE ARE POLITICAL PRISONERS IN THE COUNTRY?

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Arman Babajanyan, editor-in-chief of “Zhamanak-Yerevan” newspaper was detained a year ago. He was sentenced to 3.5 years of imprisonment for fabricating documents and avoiding military service. Today representatives of legal NGOs, opposition parties and journalists discussed the issue of political prisoner Arman Babajanyan. Nikolay Baghdasaryan, lawyer of Arman Babajanyan says that the law on alternative military service was denied to his defendant.

“There was a clear explanation that Mr Babajanyan was sick. Besides he was ready to pay the fine”, said Mr Baghdasaryan. According to the RA General Prosecutor’s Office, 2067 people were given the opportunity to pay the fine and not to be detained.

The lawyer tries to find out why the law referred to 2067 people but not to Arman Babajanyan. Nikolay Baghdasaryan mentioned that the international structures, particularly, the Freedom House mentioned in its report that the punishment was too strict, while the US State Department qualified him as a political prisoner.

The lawyer has applied to the European Court of Human Rights. “If it turns out that the punishment was for being a journalist, Armenia will suffer”, said Mr Baghdasaryan.

Artak Zeinalian, member of the “Republic” party, pointed out that Arman Babajanyan was chosen as a victim first and then recognized guilty. Avetik Ishkhanyan, Chairman of Armenian Helsinki Committee, agreed with that. “That was a preliminary alarm to punish a printed media representative”.

“Arman Babajanyan was persecuted. Why he? Because he was a journalist. He was a free journalist. He was arrested by political decision and will be released by political decision. He will be detained again if no political decision is made”, said David Shahnazaryan, President of "Concorde" Centre.

By the way, reflecting on Tigran Tororsyan’s statement that there were no political prisoners in Armenia, Avetik Ishkhanyan noted that no government accepted that there were political prisoners in the country. That is accepted only by the society and judicial persons.