09:00, 28 May 2011

Nikol Pashinyan amnestied in Armenia

As reported by Arsen Babayan, press secretary of the Criminal-Executive Department of the Armenian Ministry of Justice, Nikol Pashinyan, a supporter of the Armenian opposition and editor-in-chief of the "Aikakan Zhamanak", was released under the May 27 amnesty.

"Within the series of other events, the release of Pashinyan may be viewed as a certain attempt to draft some interaction rules of the government and the opposition before the elections. The press in Armenia is not neutral. Mostly these or other newspapers or magazines support this or that political force," the "Echo of the Caucasus" quotes Alexander Iskandaryan, head of the Institute of the Caucasus.

The upcoming release of Nikol Pashinyan was announced by Grayr Tovmasyan, the Minister of Justice. He also spoke about subsequent soon release of the opposition activist Ara Ovannisyan, who was convicted, like Pashinyan, on charges of mass disorders on March 1, 2008, in Yerevan.