Friday, July 18 2014

The Armenian authorities will not get away with their unfair verdict against veteran of the Nagorno-Karabakh war Volodya Avetisyan, another veteran of the Nagorno- Karabakh war Suren Sargsyan told ArmInfo on Friday.

"The only thing that comes into my mind when I see that a veteran of the Nagorno-Karabakh war is in jail, while a murderer like the son the former governor of Syunik region Suren Khachatryan is free, is that my country is being ruled by criminals. Even if Avetisyan actually took the bribe, his services to the country are so immense that he had to be pardoned. I am sure that he is not guilty but even if he is, it is the fault of the ruling regime that our country is so corrupt and poor that even a veteran is forced to take bribes," Sargsyan said.

He said that the authorities will not get away with this unfair verdict. "They will answer for the millions they have stolen and for the disrespect they show for the people they owe the very existence of their country. Very soon they will answer for this anarchy," Sargsyan said.

He said that the Council of Nagorno-Karabakh War Veterans is not going to organize any action in support of Avetisyan. "In this country demonstrations make no difference. What we need is unity and riot," Sargsyan said.

On Thursday the Trial Court of Yerevan's Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeitun communities sentenced Avetisyan to six years in jail. Avetisyan pleads non-guilty. He says that the ruling regime is just punishing him for the protest action he organized before the arrest. 

Sept 20 Armenia's Defense Ministry reported that Avetisyan took a $2,000 bribe from some Zakaryan against promise to exempt his grandson from military service. Avetisyan's comrades are sure that the charge has been framed up. Before the arrest Avetisyan held a sit-down strike in Liberty Square to claim better social conditions for Nagorno- Karabakh war veterans.