Armenia: Shant Arutyunyan's supporters thank President of Switzerland for his support of rights defenders

On June 4, in Yerevan, about a dozen activists supporting Shant Arutyunyan, the leader of the "Tsegakron" Party, a participant of the protest action "Million Mask March", held an action in front of the presidential residence. They were expressing their gratitude to Didier Burkhalter, Swiss Confederation President, who arrived in Armenia, for his position on the Armenian political prisoners.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that on December 28, 2013, activists sent an appeal to Pope Francis, US President Barack Obama, Swiss Confederation President Didier Burkhalter, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. The appeal contained a call to support Shant Arutyunyan and other participants of the "Million Mask March", who were arrested together with him on November 5, 2013. In their appeal, the Shant Arutyunyan's supporters called on the officials to pay attention to the "groundless detention in custody" of 15 political prisoners in Armenia.

"Switzerland reminds Armenia to pay attention to its international obligations and calls on to increase protection of human rights," the participants of the action quote Didier Burkhalter as saying.

According to Zhanna Gasparyan, a participant of the action, almost all arrested activists have family members who were left without breadwinners.

Let us remind you that Volodya Avetisyan, a Karabakh war veteran, is suspected of the fact that he had received 2000 US dollars from an official of the Ministry of Defence (MoD) of Armenia under pretence of helping to exempt a relative of an Armenian citizen from compulsory military service. At present, he is under arrest.

See earlier reports: "In Armenia, case of participants of "Million Mask March" sent to court", "In Armenia, Shant Arutyunyan's son charged with disorderly conduct", "In Armenia, Misak Arakelyan, one of participants of "Million Mask March", is released".