July 2, 2009 - 18:26 AMT
Armen Mazmanyan: I am sure that amnesty does not make Levon Ter-Petrossian happy
Armenian film producer and one of the activists of the national liberation movement Armen Mazmanyan shared his political views at a meeting with journalists today.

"I hail the amnesty, which touched many my friends, although it is granted very late. I am sure that amnesty does not make Levon Ter-Petrossian happy, since detained people were token coins in his struggle for power, " Armen Mazmanyan, creative director of the experimental theater "Goy" said. "Despite polar difference in our political views, my friends are now at liberty," he said.

Many journalists asked the opinion of Armen Mazmanyan about major news the previous day: a voluntary coming of Nikol Pashinyan, editor-in-chief of "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily to the prosecutor's office.

"You can't compare Movses Georgisyan, a political figure, who was at the first front line under bullets of the Azeri, with Nicol Pashinyn, who declared himself an opposition leader and, hiding himself, called on the rest to struggle with arms. And after a year of rest, while others were in jail instead of him, he just appeared at the moment when amnesty announced," Mazmanyan said.

On July 1, being sought, one of the most active participants in the events of 1 March 2008, chief editor of "Haykakan Zhamanak" Nikol Pashinyan surrendered to law enforcement authorities. He was arrested and taken to the "Yerevan-Kentron" penitentiary.

Earlier Nikol Pashinyan had expressed his intention to come out of hiding and continue his struggle in prison.

In February-March 2008, the Armenian opposition, dissatisfied results of presidential elections of February 19, 2008, headed by the first Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrossian held rallies in center of Yerevan. 1-2 March protests degenerated into riots, resulted in the death of 10 people. Nikol Pashinyan was being searched by law enforcers.