Alec Yenikomshian: Founding Parliament's strategy experiences retreat

The Founding Parliament will take radical steps if the Municipality of Yerevan refuses to sanction the rally in Liberty Square again, Alec Yenikomshian, veteran of ASALA, supporter of the Founding Parliament movement, said at a press conference in Yerevan on April 29.  

"We tried to receive a permit to hold a rally in Liberty Square before May 10, however, the Municipality has refused to give us the permit. Now the Founding Parliament has again applied to the Municipality to sanction the rally before May 10. If this request is rejected, we will take radical measures, including unsanctioned protest actions, sit-down strikes and hunger strikes," he said. Yenikomshian added that the Founding Parliament's strategy has experienced retreat, because the all-Armenian mobilization did not take place on April 24. "We failed to hold the first phase of mobilization for numerous reasons, including the arrest of the Founding Parliament members, involvement of criminal elements, etc. However, we are sure that after the Founding Parliament leader Zhirayr Sefilyan and his supporters are released, the movement will gain momentum," he said.            
He added that the Founding Parliament will continue its efforts to make the authorities release Sefilyan and his supporters. He stressed that the charges against them are groundless and politically charged. The ASALA veteran thinks that the interrogation held by the investigative bodies aims to delay the process and fabricate the case. "The authorities are trying to neutralize the Founding Parliament and use such mechanisms for that," he said. 

On April 7, the Investigation Committee of Armenia has disseminated a statement on detention of Artsakh War Hero, coordinator of the Founding Parliament (FP) Zhirayr Sefilyan, members of the FP, Varuzhan Avetisyan, Pavel Manukyan and Sefilyan's brother Toros Sefilyan were detained on suspicion of organizing mass disorders for April 24 2015.  The detained members, Pavel Manukyan and Gevorg Safaryan went on hunger strike protesting against their unlawful detention, but stopped it soon after. The Movement seeks to change power in the country.