The Rally took place

On July 18, 2008 the rally on “PACE 609 and 1620 Resolutions” took place in Vanadzor near the Palace of culture after “Charles Aznavour”. The organizer of the rally was Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly-Vanadzor.

HCA Vanadzor informed the Municipality of Vanadzor about the rally 3 times after the events of in March 2008. The Municipality acknowledged the information only the fourth time and permitted to hold the rally not in the central part of the city - near the Palace of culture.
  In spite of this circumstance, 1000 people were present at the rally and not only from Vanadzor, but also from the rest of Lori region, Gyumri and Yerevan. The participants shouted “Freedom” raising the posters with the same word on it.
  The members of “Heritage”, Zaruhi Postanjyan, Vahagn Khachatryan and the representative of All-national Movement Davit Shahnazaryan were also invited to the meeting.
  “These resolutions are not of the Council of Europe but ours. We can’t be considered democratic unless we can’t ensure their realization,’’-mentioned the organizer of the meeting, the coordinator of HCA Vanadzor, Arthur Sakunts. According to him, the requirements of the resolutions are not being executed as long as the people arrested after the March events are in prison. “Even if one citizen is not free, we all aren’t free, either’’,-announced Arthur Sakunts.
  Aram Nazarian, Honoured Painter of the Republic of Armenia, member of All Armenian Movement, blames our nation for this. “We don’t have the right to demand from others to take steps instead of us, neither from the Council of Europe, nor from the Commission”-he noted in his speech.
  “One can’t go upstairs with dirty shoes. Either you should take them off, or wash the mud away,’’- Levon Barseghyan, the President of Gyumri Journalists’ Club “Asparez” explained to the participants about the relations of the Council of Europe and Armenia. He thinks, that if Armenia wants to remain in the Council of Europe should take concrete steps.
  Zaruhi Postanjian, member of the parliament from the “Heritage” party shares this opinion. According to her, these resolutions are trying to give our country the opportunity to become more democratic.
  The participants of the meeting expressed their solidarity to those who are on a sitting strike in the Northern Avenue in Yerevan for the freedom of political prisoners.