David Sanasaryan: Fight for release of all political prisoners and for power change will be continued in Armenia

ArmInfo. Spokesperson of  Heritage Party David Sanasaryan told reporters on August 26 the fight  release of all political prisoners and for a power change will be  continued in Armenia. 

In his words, during the July protests, the authorities isolated all  potential leaders that could coordinate the public discontent and  lead Sasna Tsrer's movement to a power change. "After our arrest, we  have better realized the need in an immediate change of power.  Consequently, the fight continues. We are at a new stage that will  gather pace gradually," he said urging all possible legal ways of  protests, including strikes and boycotts. The activists called the  people to father in the Liberty Square later today, on August 26.

A member of Heritage Party Hovsep Khurshudyan, in turn, said the  fight for release of political prisoners should be political. To that  end, he urged the Armenian public and international organizations to  continue pressing the authorities. "The authorities have already  spread rumors about upcoming amnesty, but we do not need benevolence  by Serzh Sargsyan and his team. They must stop criminal persecutions  against oppositionists and remove the fabricated criminal cases," he  said.

The Heritage Party representatives called on Andrias Ghukasyan, the  coordinator of Rise Up! Armenia Movement to stop his hunger strike  that continues for 26 days already.   

Sanasaryan and Khurshudyan were detained during anti-governmental  demonstrations in mid-July when Sasna Tsrer group seized a police  compound in Yerevan demanding among others the president's  resignation. Both face the same charges under Article 225.1 of the  Armenian Criminal Code (Organization of mass disorder, accompanied  with violence, pogroms, arson, destruction or damage to property,  using fire-arms, explosives or explosive devices, or by armed  resistance to the representative of the authorities, is punished with  imprisonment for the term of 4 to 10 years). The measure of restraint  against them was 2-month arrest, but the Court of Appeal released  them on bail.

As for Andrias Ghukasyan, the Court of Appeal left unchanged the  measure of restraint against him. He was detained on July 29 during  clashes with Police that used special means against demonstrators.   Ghukasyan is charged with organization of public unrest. He went on  hunger strike and considers himself a political prisoner.