Experts and opposition leaders associate Zhirair Sefilyan's arrest with negotiations on Karabakh

Zhirair Sefilyan, the leader of the "100 years without regime", was arrested because of his criticism of the authorities concerning the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. This opinion was voiced by Armenian opposition activists and human rights defenders.

The "Caucasian Knot" has reported that the arrest of Zhirair Sefilyan, the head of the joint staff of the opposition and the leader of the movement "100 years without regime", was reported on June 20. According to investigators, Zhirair Sefilyan with a group of people plotted an armed seizure of buildings and means of transportation and communication, including the Yerevan TV Tower.

In his interview to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent, advocate Ara Zakaryan, representing the interests of the oppositionist, has stated that Zhirair Sefilyan is being prosecuted for his political views.

The advocate believes that the criminal case against Zhirair Sefilyan was fabricated. According to advocate Ara Zakaryan, one of the defendants in the criminal case testified against the oppositionist by the order of the investigators.

In turn, Varuzhan Avetisyan, Deputy Chairman of the "Constituent Parliament", a member of the political board of the "New Armenia", associates the arrest of Zhirair Sefilyan with his criticism of the actions of the Azerbaijani authorities around the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

"Zhirair Sefilyan has voiced a revelation, in which he accused the authorities of conspiring to surrender the territories of Artsakh (the self-name of Nagorno-Karabakh, note of the 'Caucasian Knot') by means of an imaginary war. The oppositionist was intentionally isolated on the eve of the meeting of the Presidents of Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan in Saint Petersburg. Thus, they have demonstrated its partners and, in particular, Ilham Aliev, the willingness to adhere to agreements on surrender of the territories," Varuzhan Avetisyan told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.