YEREVAN. – Friday’s protest march from Armenian capital city Yerevan’s Liberty Square to the General Prosecutor’s Office building, and demanding the release of Shant Harutyunyan and other political prisoners, has not yet begun. 

But a large number of people—including opposition Heritage Party Chairman, ex-presidential candidate and former FM, Raffi Hovannisian—are already at Liberty Square.     

Hovannisian had gone to the Prison Hospital in the morning to see Harutyunyan, but he was not permitted to do so.   

“For me, Shant Harutyunyan is a leading citizen. I have come to support [him] because he is a flag bearer of this fight. I also have come to condemn the existence of political prisoners in the country,” Heritage’s leader told reporters.      

Raffi Hovannisian will resume active politics next month. 

“We must continue to fight. I will say my comprehensive piece in February. But I will continue to come and take part in all such marches; the political position is not important for that,” he added.

To note, the United National Initiative leader and activist Shant Harutyunyan who heads a nationalist party, and who had announced about starting a revolution, on November 5, 2013—and with close to several dozen supporters wearing Guy Fawkes “Anonymous masks”—had started a march toward the Presidential Palace, but the police had stopped the march.

As a result, there was a scuffle, and the police detained 38 activists, including Harutyunyan and his son. Subsequently, 20 of them, including Harutyunyan, were arrested, charges were laid against six of them and, consequently, they were incarcerated. As a result of the melee, sixteen people, including police officers and the Armenian News-NEWS.am reporter, were injured.

Shant Harutyunyan was charged with violence against a representative—i.e., the police—of the authorities.    

Photo by Arsen Sargsyan/NEWS.am