ArmInfo.Human rights organizations of Armenia appealed to Nikol Pashinyan with call to take steps to ensure human rights, the release of prisoners through in-depth investigation of previously adopted court decisions, especially for life-term prisoners, as well as "prisoners of conscience", including the case of Shant Harutyunyan.
In their address, the leaders of the Center for Human Rights and Freedom, the Yerevan Press Club, the Helsinki Committee, the Asparez Journalists' Club, the Transparency International Anti-Corruption Center and the Helsinki Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor Office noted that judicial sentence against Shant Harutyunyan, who is recognized as a political prisoner by international human rights organizations, and his comrades was obviously unjust, disproportionate and ordered. It is noted that Shant Harutyunyan expects for himself and his comrades only an acquittal and does not accept any other ways of release to freedom.
The authors of the appeal asked the Prime Minister not to delay the decisions related to Shant Harutyunyan and other political prisoners' acquittal.
To note, on October 31, 2013 the leader of the "Tsegakron" party Shant Harutyunyan started a sit-in strike on Freedom Square in Yerevan, and on November 5 organized the "Procession of Masks", which was dedicated to the international day of Guy Fawkes. The "Procession of Masks", which was considered part of the initiative called the "Revolution of Values", was violated by the police, there were clashes, Shant Harutyunyan and 40 of his associates were arrested. Some of them were released later, while Shant Harutyunyan and fourteen of his supporters were sentenced to imprisonment on October 17, 2014 by the court of first instance of the Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan. Harutyunyan was sentenced to 6 years in prison.