Shant Harutiunian, a veteran Armenian political activist espousing nationalist views, has been released from prison under an amnesty law five years after being arrested for leading an anti-government street protest.
Harutiunian, 53, left a penitentiary center in Yerevan on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of Justice told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.
On November 5, 2013, Harutiunian led several dozen supporters who tried to march towards then President Serzh Sarkisian’s offices in what they described as a “revolution of values.” Riot police used force to stop the crowd armed with sticks and homemade stun grenades from approaching the presidential palace. More than a dozen demonstrators were arrested and tried.
The activists, most of whom pleaded not guilty to accusations of hooliganism, were subsequently sentenced to between 1 and 7 years in prison. Harutiunian was given a 6-year jail term.
The conviction and lengthy prison sentences against the nationalist leader and his loyalists were condemned by a number of human rights organizations and opposition groups that described Harutiunian and others as political prisoners.
Longtime opposition leader Nikol Pashinian pledged to help free all “political prisoners” when he swept to power in May in a wave of peaceful mass protests that brought down Sarkisian’s government.
Unlike other jailed political activists Harutiunian repeatedly rejected a variety of legal options for his release, including a parole and a pardon, insisting on being formally acquitted by court.
In particular, he refused to sign any document to request an early release.
On the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the First Armenian Republic and the 2800th anniversary of the foundation of Yerevan, both of which are marked in 2018, the Armenian parliament last week adopted an amnesty law under which some 650 convicts will be granted release from prison.
Harutiunian was released as one of the beneficiaries of the law that was enacted by President Armen Sarkisian on November 3.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on Monday, Shant Harutiunian’s son, Shahen, who was one of the active protesters during anti-government demonstrations in April-May, said that being released under an amnesty law does not require any signature from the convict.
“He [Shant Harutiunian] was recognized as a political prisoner by international human rights organization and by Pashinian himself… Under this option he does not sign any document, his consent [to release] is not mandatory, he does not admit his guilt, he simply gets released without any signature,” Shahen Harutiunian explained.
Shant Harutiunian leads a small obscure party called “Tseghakron”. Shahen Harutiunian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service that his father does not plan to run for parliament in snap parliamentary elections, which are scheduled in Armenia for December 9.
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