The residents of the villages surrounding the town of Hrazdan began to stage public rallies in the village of Vanatur starting on March 25th demanding the release of all political prisoners. The local Deputy to the National Assembly, Sasun Mikayelyan, heads their list of persons detained for political reasons.

Former freedom fighter Arshavir (Arsho) Bozinyan is presently on hunger strike to publicize this demand. In a further sign of protest at the way the regional police have cracked down on the demonstrators Mr. Bozinyan has also threatened to set himself on fire.

Arsho started his hunger strike on the second day of the protests and had been sleeping in a tent ever since. On March 27th, when he left the tent to wash-up, the local police chief Avetik Abrahamyan and a few cops, cut the ropes to the tent and took off with it. The freedom fighter has since taken up residence in an empty construction site in the village center.

Mr. Abrahamyan related that, “They want to get the property owner to have me removed. No matter, I go camp out on Mount Teghenis. They must finally understand that the use of force won’t get them anywhere. If they continue to jail innocent people I’ll call on my friends to join this protest action. If need be, we’ll resort to drastic actions. I’ll be the first to set myself on fire.”

On March 28th, Gevorg Gevorgyan, commander of the “Alashkert detachment and Artsakh War invalid, joined Arsho’s protest action.

Freedom Fighter Gevorg stated that, “In 1988 I went on hunger strike in Opera Square in the name of freedom. Today, I am declaring that my hunger strike is directed against tyranny. These people want to break us like a broom handle and they’re starting with our commander, Sasun Mikayelyan. They won’t succeed. They took him away and a soldier has taken his place. If they take the soldier away, that soldier’s child will replace him. The despotic regime will come to an end and we will not let our children grow up in fear.” Gevorg went on to say that he and Arsho represent the entire nation. 

“ Stop persecuting us already, it’s enough. If war breaks out tomorrow will it be those guys from the ruling regime that head off for the front lines? Why did they bestow all those medals on us, so they could now haul us off to prison? For 20-25 days now they’ve been taking me to the prefect every other day to force me to sign an affidavit that I won’t attend any more rallies. Don’t I have the right to be free in my own country?” asks Gevorg.

The regional police have also been questioning women protestors seen chanting such slogans as “Sasun” and “Hero of Liberty”. Without receiving prior notice, these women have been told to appear at the police station. There, they are interrogated and advised to stay away from the rallies. The interrogations have even reached into the schools, where young children known to have attended the rallies have been questioned without the presence of a parent or teacher.

Grisha Ghazaryan, the Principal of High School #6, has stated that he requested the intervention of the police to find out why students hadn’t been attending classes. Armen Markosyan, the Director of the Hrazdan Police Youth Division, also has justified the interrogation of students by saying that; “his unit is responsible for warning kids about unexcused absences from school."

Law enforcement officials forcibly took Karineh Harutyunyan, a reporter for the newspaper “Jamanak Yerevan” who went to Vanatur to cover the March 25th rally, to the Kotayk Regional Police Station. Regional Police Chief Robert Stepanyan and Hrazdan Division Chief Avetik Abrahamyan treated the reporter to a one-hour ‘coarse’ lecture before being released. Reporters from the “Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” newspaper Gagik Shamshyan and Taguhi Tovmasyan eventually avoided being pursued by the police through the efforts of the women protestors at the rally. The reporters were taken to the house of one of the women and hidden. Later on, they were ferried out of Vanatur by quick thinking staff members of the local ombudsman. 

Lusineh, a 39 year-old resident of the village of Lernanist, confidently stated that, “We won’t give in for anything and we’ll be here every day until Sasun and the other political prisoners are freed. We’ll even go to Yerevan if need be. We’re really not interested in who becomes president, Levon Ter-Petrosyan or the officially declared winner, Serzh Sargsyan. We’re demanding the freedom of our Sasun and all those like him.”

Anahit, a 45 year-old resident of Vanatur, added that, “Let’s remember that Sasun Mikayelyan is a national hero who has shed blood for this country and people. All 15,000 of us, in unison, voted for him in the last National Assembly elections and don’t regret it. How can they concoct such false accusations against such a man? Doesn’t his war buddy Serzh Sargsyan, who broke bread with Sasun, feel any shame? How can he look him in the eye after all that’s happened?”

Sasun Mikayelyan is 50 years old. In 1988 he organized and commanded the “Sasun” volunteers’ detachment. In 1993 he became the President of the Hrazdan District Branch of the “Yerkrapah” Union of Volunteers and in 1996 he became President of the Yerkrapah’s Kotayk Regional Council. He was the Mayor of Hrazdan from 1996-1999. He has been elected as a Deputy to the National Assembly since 1995 with an overwhelming vote majority. Mr. Mikayelyan supported the 2008 candidacy of Levon Ter-Petrosyan for president even though he is a member of the “Republican Party” led by Serzh Sargsyan.

Three days after the tragic events of March 1st, the National Assembly, upon receiving the petition of Chief Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepyan, waived the legal immunity of four Parliamentary Deputies, including Suren Mikayelyan. A criminal investigation against him is in progress.

Agents of the National Security Service arrested Suren Mikayelyan on March 12th. He has been charged with organizing public unrest that resulted in deaths and taking actions designed to usurp state authority through the use of force, a violation of Armenia’s Constitution.