Statement

On May 5, 2007 the office of the movement “Civil Disobedience”, the house of Alexander Arzumanyan, one of the leaders of the movement and ex Foreign Minister, and the house of Vahan Shirkhinyan, ex Defense Deputy Minister were searched. The latter were blamed for money laundering.

On May 7, at midnight, Alexander Arzumanyan was arrested and now he is in the “Kentron” isolation cell, which is in the building of the National Security Service. During public-political active developments the authorities of Armenia once again try to intimidate and make political dissidence quiet by KGB methods – through interceptions, forced arrests. This is the logical continuation of the Armenian political developments of recent years. They were displayed by the severe condemnation of Arman Babajanyan, editor of “Zhamanak Yerevan” daily and by imprisonment of Zhirayr Sefilyan and Vardan Malkhasyan. Both, Alexander Arzumanyan, whose political reasons for imprisonment are obvious, and the other mentioned imprisoned people are subjected to criminal persecution for their public and political activity and their ideas.
  Being concerned about continuous political persecutions in Armenia, we, the undersigned, recognize them as political prisoners and declare about the establishment of a group protecting political prisoners.
  The group will be consistent in protecting the rights of Alexander Arzumanyan, Vardan Malkhasyan and Arman Babajanyan, as well as in excluding persecutions directed towards any political dissidence and eliminating the reasons for such actions.
  “Group of Protecting the Four”
  Avetik Ishkhanyan
Gayane Markosyan
Amalya Kostanyan
Vardan Harutyunyan
Arthur Sakunts
Edik Baghdassaryan
09.05.2007