The Committee for the Defense of Political Prisoners in Armenia has issued a statement calling for the immediate release of Sargis Hatspanian, a French-Armenian activist now serving 3.5 years for "false denunciation"

Hatspanian has not been included in the recent government's general amnesty. During the 2008 presidential election, he backed the candidacy of Levon Ter-Petrosyan and was a prominent figure at Freedom Square after the contested elections.