Shant Harutyunyan’s release demands usage of special forces: Pashinyan jokes

For already five months I am asking Shant Harutyunyan to come out of jail, Armenia’s acting PM Nikol Pashinyan said at the NA today, asked about the issue of Harutyunyan’s release.

The question was forwarded by MP Ararat Zurabyan who claimed that it is obvious that Harutyunyan was arrested for his political approaches.

“We have received a note where he [Shant Harutyunyan] says that I am not going out of the jail either by parole or amnesty or by the change of regime. I guess for releasing Shant Harutyunyan from jail it is necessary to apply force measures with the masked special police forces entering the jail and taking him out and closing the doors for him not to go there again,” Pashinyan joked.

As to Harutyunyan’s demand to acquit him, Pashinyan said “it is a very just demand.”

“He demands acquittal. But who should acquit him? The court. So why have not his attorneys filed corresponding claim to the court? If I say go and apply to court, they will ask "will the court acquit him if you say so". Then an issue will raise for me to call the judge and tell him to acquit. If I call the judge and tell him to acquit, tomorrow I will call him and tell to jail. It is unavoidable,” the prime ministerial candidate stated.

He stressed that if one call is made to a judge it will continue in future and then it will appear that it is impossible to work without these calls while the authorities do not want such working style.

“I am not going to tell anything to judges. There are issues that need political solutions but currently an amnesty bill is submitted and such issues are to be discussed on political level,” Pashinyan said, stressing that there should be a clear division of branches of power in the country.