Karabakh war veteran launches sit-in protest outside government administration building in Yerevan

Volodya Avetisyan, a Karabakh war veteran and retired colonel who spent 3.8 years in prison, was released under amnesty today.

However, having left the penitentiary institution, he didn’t go home, but rather headed toward the Government building, where he launched an indefinite sit-in.

A few years ago, Avetisyan, who is a reserve officer, started organizing protest rallies, demanding to improve veterans’ social conditions. Later on, in September 2012, he was arrested for charges of fraud, and sentenced to 6 years imprisonment the following summer. Volodya Avetisyan and his companions-in-arms claim that his case was fabricated by authorities, who tried to put him out of the way and remove him from the ranks of those who struggled for justice.

Volodya Avetisyan stated that he would keep struggling – not only for the rights of veterans, but also for the protection of prisoners’ rights in Armenia.

As he pointed out, through his sit-in protest he would like to contribute to the effective execution of laws in the country: “The laws aren’t enforced in the country. They are put down in black and white, approved by the National Assembly, the President, but they aren’t effective.”

Avetisyan called on the public to join his sit-in and demand change of power in the country.