Close to twenty faculty members of Yerevan State University have signed a public appeal demanding the immediate release of jailed activist and chief editor of "Haykakan Zhamanak", Nikol Pashinyan. In their appeal, the YSU faculty members, some of them professors and department heads, state that it is indisputable that Nikol Pashinyan is a crusading political activist who enjoys wide public appeal and that to imprison him for his political activities goes against all civilized norms accepted in the 21st century. The educators also demand that immediate steps are taken to expose the real criminals behind the events of March 1, 2008. They argue that at this critical juncture of foreign political processes it is more than ever necessary for mutual tolerance and confidence to take hold within Armenia.