Today, the Armenian Helsinki Committee and several former Karabakh freedom fighters held a press conference calling for the immediate release of French-Armenian opposition activist Sarkis Hatspanian, now imprisoned in Armenia. Mr. Hatspanian was recently sentenced to 3.5 years on the charge of offering "false denunciation" alleging a plot to assassinate the President of Armenia. Under the provisions of the recent general amnesty, those sentenced to less than five years can be pardoned if they have participated in the Artsakh War. Today's press conference organizers presented documents which they say prove that Mr. Hatspanian participated in the war and have sent the file to the RoA Ministry of Justice for review. Despite the fact that neither the RoA nor NKR Defense Ministries have Sarkis Hatspanian registered as being a war veteran, his supporters and the NKR National Assembly Vice President claim the opposite. Helsinki Committee President Avetik Ishkhanyan stated that the testimony of other freedom fighters is sufficient basis to release Mr. Hatspanian. Mr. Ishkhanyan pointed out that there are also other known war veterans not registered with the defense ministry. During the press conference Mr. Hatspanian's war buddies noted that during the height of the war, when others were fleeing the country, the French-Armenian left the comfort of his home in Paris and came to Armenia.