YEREVAN. – Opposition Armenian National Congress (ANC) activists held a protest rally from the Yerevan city Liberty Square heading to the office of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on Thursday.

The rally participants called to justify the ANC activists. The ANC youth handed over a letter to the PACE Office. The letter says that the ANC activists’ verdict, sentencing them from 2 to 6 years in jail, is baseless and they are victims of political persecutions. The ANC MP Nikol Pashinyan, who also participated in the march, said he is there as a citizen of Armenia. He claimed that if the ANC [sentenced activist] Tigran Arakelyan is released, it will be through civil pressures.

To note, a clash occurred between the ANC activists and police officers on Aug. 9, 2011. Police detained 7 activists and instigated a criminal case bringing hooliganism charges and violence against authority representative. At the same time, the activists claimed that the police officers have severely beaten them. The First Instance Court has sentenced Tigran Arakelyan for 6, Artak Karapetyan for 3, Sargis Gevorgyan and Davit Kiramijyan for 2 years in jail on July 20.