YEREVAN. – A demonstration for the rights Armenia’s political prisoners was held Friday morning outside the General Prosecutor’s Office.
The protesters were holding banners with the picture of Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic) former Defense Minister and Defense Army Commander Samvel Babayan, and a demand for the resignation of General Prosecutor Artur Davtyan.
Subsequently, they marched to the Court of Cassation building where they continued their protest.
One of Babayan’s supporters said the Court of Cassation does not accept proceedings on Babayan’s case and that this demonstration is also a demand for accepting the proceedings.
“I have no doubt that this [new] government wishes to free all political prisoners,” he added. “But we have a non-standard situation. We have a government that has a head [i.e. PM Nikol Pashinyan], but it has no body in the sense that the situation in the National Assembly is not changed yet.
“The judicial system is entirely under the influence of the former regime. The prosecutor’s office has become the intermediary tool that influences the courts.
“We support the Prime Minister that he keep his word to set political prisoners free. [But] snap [parliamentary] elections without setting political prisoners free can’t be considered legitimate.”
Another civil activist lied in front of the Court of Cassation building. He noted that his protest is against Armenia’s judicial and prosecutorial systems which, in his words, are still led by the former authorities.
