By Sargis Buniatyan

Thomas Jefferson once stated, “If there’s something wrong, those who have the ability to take action have the responsibility to take action.”

Unfortunately, most of us are not fully acquainted with our abilities and this state of amnesia forces us into the realms of fearfulness, complacency, unwillingness, and utter hopelessness. We are blind to our true, awesome potential because there is this constant sense of seclusion and divide instilled in us by our environment. And it’s true. When we’re alone, it’s naturally difficult … but when united, we can move mountains and earlier this month, we did!

Nareg Hartounian is the founder of the non-profit Naregatsi Art Institute in Armenia. He and his family have dedicated their lives fighting for our country, the promotion of our culture, and much more. It is clear that these are people of great honor and integrity; some of the few true patriots. It is because of people like them that our country and our world moves forward.

For many years, Nareg has been helping Armenia revive its culture through free art lessons, concerts and countless other charitable events with the support of his family. This is a person who doesn’t wear fancy clothes, drive fancy cars, or live in a fancy house, but instead takes equity loans on his personal property and gives away millions of dollars over the years for what he stands for. Yet on the morning of Friday, December 9, 2011, he was arrested on trumped up charges of tax evasion, along with Deputy Director Ani Mnatsakanyan and Chief Accountant Artour Galstyan, and within the course of a day, they were indicted, tried and found guilty without proper due process.

So let’s get this straight. The art and cultural aficionado who donates millions to the Armenian people and the family that invests millions into the Armenian economy just woke up one day and decided to cheat the government out of a measly 109 Million Armenian Drams (approximately $290,000)?

It is extremely sad to see how one's love and passion for his country can be held "hostage" and used against him for personal financial gain. It was simply unacceptable, disgraceful, inconceivable, and downright betrayal. In reality, Nareg was ready to pay any taxes that needed to be paid but on lawful grounds in a professional manner so as to avoid any form of corruption. But the authorities in the corrupt Armenian government had other plans. The same government that awarded Nareg with gold medals for his contributions to Armenia attempted to extort his family of properties and money by the use of fear and unjust incarceration.

It didn’t take long for a full scale campaign to fire back. Petitions were organized physically in Yerevan and online via Facebook, Twitter, and Change.org. In just a couple of days, thousands of people were on their feet, protesting for Nareg’s immediate release. Nearly every news outlet in Armenia was talking about the issue. The government was undoubtedly shocked by the powerful united front that came like a storm. Some of Armenia’s greatest cultural figures, musicians, writers, intellectuals and even politicians joined the campaign, such as Raffi Hovhannisyan, Serj Tankian, Charles Aznavour, Tigran Mansuryan, Arthur Shahnazaryan, Ruben Hakhverdyan, Vahan Artsruni and numerous others. Major concerts were in the process of being organized all over Armenia but before we could stage them, the government realized just how serious the situation was and immediately released Nareg on the evening of Tuesday, December 13 on the condition that he doesn’t leave the country, which he never planned to anyways. As one of the lawyers on the case noted, "The campaign was instrumental in the unexpected release".

The news of his release was announced and this sent a tidal wave of victory throughout the Armenian community, especially amongst our supporters. Articles from various news networks were published proving Nareg’s innocence and showcasing the government’s shameful mistakes. On the morning of December 14th, a press conference took place at Naregatsi Art Institute at 11:00 AM, describing in detail what was actually going on. Towards the end, Nareg urged everyone to unite and vowed to fight on. As did we! In the following week, many events took place as a tribute to Nareg’s release and more are on the way…

Nareg is only one of countless others who have been manipulated and mistreated in despicable manners by the Armenian government. The case is not closed. The people responsible for all of this have not been charged yet. The road to justice is a long one and we plan on walking every step of the way. Unity is the most powerful weapon on the face of our planet and this month, we utilized it and won the battle but the war has just begun. Let this be a message to those who stand against the progress of our country and our world. And let this be a reminder to all those who have forgotten who they are, what they are capable of, and what WE are capable of! “Never doubt that a small group of people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has” - Margaret Mead.

Sargis Buniatyan, from Armenia, is an organizer of the Change.org campaign to release Nareg Hartounian