Today, we inquired of Levon Zurabyan, the ANC coordinator, what he expected from the court decision in regard to the ANC activists’ trial. In his words, “I have no expectation from the court session. We know that no justice has been left in the country. We know that this is a country where the legal system doesn’t punish the guilty, as it has happened with Nemets Rubo and with many others. There is only one legal system that punishes the innocent – people who, just exercising their constitutional rights, struggle against the regime, freely express their political views, try to employ their constitutional rights, organize free rallies etc. So, we don’t expect anything from this legal system, if they so wish, they will take a sin upon their souls and condemn, if they so wish, they will not condemn, nonetheless, given the situation. All the same, we will continue our cause. That cause will be continued by us, that cause will be continued by the people who are seated in the dock today, those people who are in jail. All those people – don’t doubt it for a moment – will continue this cause. The main point in this cause is that Armenia returns to justice.”
In response to our question whether he had come to support the Armenian National Congress (ANC) activists morally, Levon Zurabyan said, “Naturally, shouldn’t we show a V sign to Tigran, shouldn’t we support, although he doesn’t need any encouragement. He is a person with such a spirit who is ready to struggle for civil rights without our encouragement.”
In response to a question whether Tigran was so dangerous that the prosecutor had demanded to condemn him to 6 years in prison, Mr. Zurabyan said, “The press has talked about it too – Cuckoo who had murdered a man was not even jailed and a man who struggles for justice in Armenia may be condemned to 6 years in prison today for sins he hasn’t committed. Moreover, for an incident, in which he was beaten up and illegal actions were taken against him.”
If Tigran and other ANC activists were condemned, nonetheless, Mr. Zurabyan promised, “We will use all the means to free them. Let me say one more thing – if our civil society
Read also
struggles very enthusiastically for the criminal to be punished, which I think is quite justified, it should struggle with redoubled or retrippled enthusiasm for innocent people not to be punished. People who struggled for the freedom of those very people. I, for instance, would like thrice as many people to be here as during those actions, because it is the simple truth. Not punishing an innocent man is a higher value than punishing the guilty.”
The court will make its verdict public tomorrow. After the court session today, Aram Manukyan urged each of the Congress members to bring a man with him tomorrow to ensure publicity.
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
