Protesters demand political prisoners' release

A group of protesters gathered today outside the Prosecutor General's Office, calling for the release of the political prisoners in Armenia.

The protesters were holding up the photos of the political prisoners and posters reading "Great Shame", "Release Nikol", "1+1+1-2".
Simultaneously, protests are being held in three regions of Armenia.

"We only demand the release of the political prisoners. Gathering here every Friday, we perfectly realize that it is a political decision that does not depend on the prosecutor's office, but our gatherings here have become symbolic," Armenian National Congress (ANC) member Valdimir Karapetyan said, expressing confidence of the authorities' positive decision.

Asked about the likelihood of the political prisoners' release before the New Year, he said it wasn't realistic since the authorities do not seem to be guided by humanitarian motivations.

"After the fraudulent election in 2008, people never put up with the either electoral wrongdoings nor their authors," said Vardan Griogryan, the deputy chairman of the Democratic Route party.

"Such protests come to prove that democracy in our country will eventually win, enabling the people to take the helm of state. And most importantly, we'll prevent the country from falling into an abyss forever," he said.