“I stated right from the beginning that this is a fabricated accusation resulting from a political order by the authorities,” a close associate of former President Levon Ter-Petrosyan Alexander Arzumanyan told RFE/RL in the basement jail of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS). “I am persecuted for my political views and that is why I refuse to give testimony or participate in any other investigative activity.” “This case is a bubble. There is not a single fact to substantiate the accusations. They are holding us hostage here until they see what happens next,” he said, adding that government “repressions” will not force the Ter-Petrosyan-led opposition into submission. Reminder: Like many of the detainees, Arzumanyan was charged with organizing “mass disturbances” and attempting to “usurp power” in the wake of the February 19 presidential election. The charges stem from the March 1 deadly clashes between security forces and thousands of Ter-Petrosyan’s supporters demanding a re-run of what they believe was a rigged vote. The Armenian government and law-enforcement bodies say the street protests were part of Ter-Petrosyan’s plot to seize power by force. Arzumanyan, who had served as Armenia’s foreign minister in 1996-1998, backed the ex-president’s position. “You can’t hold people hostage, ban any public gathering, persecute people and at the same time talk about dialogue,” he said. “All this is illegal. These illegalities must end before we can feel that the authorities want to effect any changes.” “During two months there has been no investigative questioning with me; there has been no meeting with me. I was invited to the first instance court to prolong the custody for two more months. As of the accusation it is a standard formulation, which is brought against many other oppositionists,” said Arzumanyan.
