Armenian opposition: leaders of the Constituent Parliament persecuted for dissent

The leader of the National Self-Determination Union party, Paruyr Hayrikyan, said that the arrests of the members of the 'Constituent Parliament' are political persecution. A deputy of the National Assembly's 'Heritage' faction, Zaruhi Postanjyan, in his turn, said that the arrests of the activists have become an example of persecution of citizens for dissent. At the same time, Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan said there are no political prisoners in the country.

According to Paruyr Hayrikyan, the government authorities are trying to prevent mass demonstrations associated with April 24. He noted that the task of the law-enforcers must be to protect the rights of the citizens and not vice versa. "People came out on the streets to eliminate the consequences of the genocide, and April 24 is their chosen day of struggle" Hayrikyan said.

The deputy of the Heritage Party faction of the National Assembly, Zaruhi Postanjyan, supported Hayrikyan's opinion. The arrest of Sefilyan and his supporters is political persecution, she told reporters on April 8. She believes that political persecution has continued after the independence of Armenia. According to Postanjyan, the political persecution of the members of 'Constituent Parliament' originated with the approval of the republic's leadership.