Amnestied oppositionist Sasun Mikaelyan doesn’t admit his guilt

 May 27, 2011 - 18:31 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Former member of the Armenian parliament Sasun Mikaelyan amnestied on May 27, does not admit his guilt, believing the authorities actions towards him a mistake.

As Mikaelyan told journalists, he plans to continue his political activity in the frames of Armenian National Congress (ANC).

Mikaelyan confessed to have not altered his attitude to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan who he was friendly with in past. “Although unable to cooperate in political issues, we've been brothers-in-arms, fighting against a common enemy,” he stressed.

Former member of the Armenian parliament Sasun Mikaelyan, who was convicted in the March 1, 2008 case, was released on May 27. Mikaelyan had been sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment for illegal weapons possession since March 2008. In December 2009, he underwent a cardiac surgery.

President Sargsyan offered the National Assembly to declare amnesty on occasion of the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, the proposal being based on article 81.1.1 of the RA Constitution and article 90 of the law on National Assembly regulations. With a vote 91-0, the Armenian parliament approved Thursday, May 26, President Serzh Sargsyan’s proposal for declaration of amnesty for 396 people to be released and 379 to have their sentence cut.

From February 20, 2008, the Armenian opposition led by first president Levon Ter-Petrossian, who ran for presidency in 2008, but was not elected, held rallies in the central part of Yerevan, protesting against the election results. The protest actions resulted in unrest and clashes between the police and rally participants on March 1-2. According to the Office of RA Prosecutor General, around 200 people were injured, 10 people were killed, and over 100 people were arrested.