“Clemency as a phenomenon is a political act, but this pardoning is even more so, since it offered specific solutions to specific issues,” former Human Rights Defender of Artsakh Ruben Melikyan told reporters regarding the unprecedented clemency documents. He did not give any political evaluations of the clemency act, but he did mention that the benefits of those who suffered need to be taken into consideration. “The damage done to them needs to be compensated, and then the question of clemency can be discussed.”
Regarding pardoning members of Sasna Tsrer (besides Armen Bilyan and Smbat Barseghyan, who are accused of murder), Ruben Melikyan said, “Their actions were not labeled terrorism here, but if we look at similar instances in other countries, it would have been labeled terrorism elsewhere. Many thing that this has a bad thing. The problem is that such actions are not considered unacceptable, and anyone can bring up the same argument in one or ten years that they have the right to resistance and invade another state building. This goes against the legal system.”
According to Ruben Melikyan, the right to revolt, which is frequently raised by the Sasna Tsrer group, is a concept that is against the legal system. “We must refrain from looking at the right to revolt as one of the fundamental human rights. This is not about a national liberation movement, but about inner political relations. Many countries have gotten into trouble due to this concept.”
Luiza Sukiasyan
