Levon Zurabyan, the coordinator of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) and an ANC MP, has joint Yelk (way out), a group on Facebook, which collects signatures for Vano Siradeghyan’s return. Today, during a conversation with www.aravot.am in response to our question what the position of the Congress on Vano Siradeghyan’s return was, Mr. Zurabyan said, “I don’t think that the Congress should express any position on that, nor there has been a discussion on that. Let me express my own opinion that the case against Vano Siradeghyan is cooked up. We have always talked, said about that. He is persecuted exceptionally for political reasons; naturally, we welcome all initiatives, all people who raise their voice for Vano Siradeghyan’s return to Armenia. We understand when Vano Siradeghyan will be able to come back to Armenia. He will be able to come to Armenia, when justice is in effect in Armenia. Justice is not in effect in Armenia today – they punish the innocent and acquit the guilty. If Vano Siradeghyan returns to such Armenia, as the government has already stated, he will be arrested immediately and injustice will continue again. All of us jointly, all political forces should define the problem regarding this in the following manner – we have to turn Armenia into a legal state. Minimum guarantees of justice are needed, in order that political persecutions are ruled out and an authoritative figure like Vano Siradeghyan comes back to the Motherland.”
In response to our question whether it was possible that the government wanted to bring him back to confront the Congress, because that version was circulated, Mr. Zurabyan said, “The government tries to interfere into every initiative these days. Seeing that they couldn’t prevent this political movement – they have tried to do that with jailing, persecutions, attacks on our youth for 4 years – they saw that they couldn’t, they have found new ways
now. They want to create different initiatives, to interfere into every initiative, they try to distort the issue, i.e. they try to define the issue so as it is not directed against Serzh Sargsyan’s regime. Therefore, I don’t rule out and it is visible that they try to interfere into every movement, to establish some control.”
Mr. Zurabyan thinks that the government will ruin it. “We have also learned; we know how we should respond to this tactics of the government. In the end, in whatever initiative they interfere, whatever they try to make more active, in reality, it brings about a situation when people are more active and it only helps us develop the movement. If we make the right response, then we are able to find the right response to that tactics of the government.”
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We also inquired what was the reason for the latest revelations of Suren Sirunyan, the former chief of Vano Siradeghyan’s security, about Pan-Armenian National Movement (PANM) members, regarding Aram Manukyan, in particular, that he didn’t wish to vote against Vano Siradeghyan’s arrest in order to keep his office of a deputy minister, Mr. Zurabyan said, “If you treat all that and those who publish all that seriously, I don’t share your approach, therefore, I don’t wish to go into such issues.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
