Nikol Pashinyan, Chief Editor of the "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily newspaper and leading opposition figure, has issued a public statement that he has decided to come out of hiding and continue his political struggle from behind the bars of a jail cell if need be. Mr. Pashinyan had gone into hiding after the political unrest and mass disturbances in the wake of last year's hotly disputed presidential elections in Armenia. The newspaperman is an ardent supporter of the opposition-based HAK (Armenian National Congress) and its titular leader, Levon Ter-Petrosyan. Scores of other opposition leaders were arrested and detained soon after the incidents of March 1-2, 2008. "I had mulled over taking such a step in the past but have decided to take action now as a result of recent developments. I had been concerned that had I come out of hiding and were jailed it would deal a serious blow to the democratic movement. I now believe that this threat has been overcome since many of my jailed colleagues have been freed and this had given a new thrust too the movement and HAK. It is with pride that I now declare that it is my turn to become a political prisoner. I have also taken into account that my decision to show myself in public and be jailed is based on my concern to effectively continue the struggle," Mr. Pashinyan noted in his statement. Mr. Pashinyan commented that the struggle needed a breath of new life and that it was becoming harder for him to contribute while in hiding, saying that his political comrades could now participate outside a jail cell while he would do the same from the inside. The opposition leader said that he thought it best not to declare an exact date for when he would make his first appearance on public in fifteen months but that it would be within the next month. He also gave the following web site addresses where supporters could direct their comments and questions regarding his decision; www.nikolam, www.nikolpashinyan.com.