On Monday morning, June 9th, Jirayr Sefilyan was released from the Vardashen criminal detention center. Although Mr. Sefilyan, a Karabakh War veteran who commanded a special unit that participated in the liberation of Shushi, was sentenced in the summer of 2007 to 18 months imprisonment for the illegal possession of a handgun, he actually had been incarcerated since December of 2006.

Awaiting his release outside the prison walls were friends and family who greeted Mr. Sefilyan with an oversized Armenian passport. This was a symbolic slap in the face to the Armenian government which has continued to refuse the granting of citizenship to the Lebanese-born war hero ever since 2003.

Presently, the government has begun deportation proceedings against him.

Upon his release Mr. Sefilyan stated that, “Today I would like to thank, first and foremost, those journalists who covered my case and, to the dismay of the authorities, were able to convey my message to the people. Naturally, I have a lot to say regarding recent political developments and I will do so in the coming days at a press interview.”

The former commander declared that he would continue “being involved in the same work as before his unjust arrest. They wanted to hold me for 2 years. They can jail me for 20, nothing will change. They should be worried about themselves.

” The oppositional activist had the following to say about being granted citizenship, “I believe that in the end this issue will have a positive outcome. Right now, whatever they do is their problem. I am certain that our country’s true president will set matters aright in the end. I can’t think of an example where a country’s military commander isn’t a citizen of that nation.” Commenting on plans to deport him, Mr. Sefilyan, whose been residing in Armenia since 1990, said, “If you follow the actions taken by this regime you’ll notice that each successive step they take is more inane than the preceding one. They’ve been discredited and it’s now up to them to decide whether they want to continue in such a scandalous manner or not. We have our work set out for us. Together, we will ultimately build the state we all dream of.”

After his release Mr. Sefilyan, along with his supporters, made their way to the Yerablur war memorial cemetery on the outskirts of Yerevan where a number of former freedom fighters had been staging hunger strikes demanding the release of friends now being held as political prisoners.

During his meeting with the hunger strikers Mr. Sefilyan stated, “I don’t believe that hunger strikes are the most effective means of struggle but I respect all those who have taken this extreme path and I can’t rule out the possibility of joining them as well. In two days time I will make myself available to those involved in the struggle. I believe that our struggle has borne fruit and that in large part regime change has taken place. I’m also of the opinion that the upcoming rally on June 20th will be of pivotal significance.” Mr. Sefilyan was quick to add however that it was possible to give a specific timeline for victory. “I don’t think the problem will end with June 20th. The struggle can last for 2 days, 20 weeks or for 10 months. We’ll continue to struggle for as long as it takes.”

At the Yerablur cemetery Mr. Sefilyan visited the graves of fallen Karabakh combatants. When asked if he had plans to meet with the Levon Ter-Petrosyan, Armenia’s first president, Mr. Sefilyan responded, “If Mr. Ter-Petrosyan has the time, of course I’d love to meet him.”