National Hero Movses Gorgosyan would turn 50 today (videos)

Today marks the 50th birthday of Armenian National Hero Movses Gorgisyan.

One of the most outstanding personalities in the history of Armenia's third republic, Gorgisyan had an unforgettable role in the late 1980's nationalistic movement and struggle for independence. He was known as a true hero, and a warrior never tolerating the evil and always struggling for justice. "Mourning is forever if there's no struggle" was Gorgisyan's motto that characterized him best.

Movses Gorgisyan was born in 1961 in Yerevan. In 1984, he graduated from the Armenian Teacher Training University's Culture Department, receiving the qualification of a stage director and producer. From 1986 till 1987, Gorgisyan worked at the Drama Theatre of Goris town.

In 1987, he joined the nationalistic movement, becoming a member of the National Self-Determination Union. He was the first person to hoist Armenia's tricolor flag on Liberty Square on Armenia's First Republic anniversary in 1988. One of the founders of the Independence Army, Gorgisyan is widely known for his speeches on the re-establishment of Armenia's independent statehood. Since the start of the Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) liberation movement, he was an active advocate of Artsakh Armenians' independence campaign. On January 18, 1990, border villages in Ararat region came under Azeri militants' armed attack. A day later, the Armenian fighters eliminated one of the enemy's detachments, seizing a large quantity of weapons. Together with his warriors, Gorgisyan attacked and silenced the enemy's weapon emplacement on a hill, but he died a hero's death in the battle.

Gorgisyan's body is buried in Yerevan's Tsitsernakaberd Park.