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IN 1990 SHANT AND HIS SQUAD DISARMED RUSSIAN TROOPS
Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
Country - Tuesday, 25 March 2014, 17:26
The leader of Tseghakron Party Shant Harutiunyan has been held in
custody for already five months since the famous events of November 5.
He was charged with violence against a representative of authorities.
Shant Harutiunyan's advocate Inesa Petrosyan has stated for a number
of times that corpus delicti is missing in this case because the
policeman against whom Shant Harutiunyan used violence on November
5 was wearing plain clothes.
The political prisoner Shant Harutiunyan is a veteran of war in
Artsakh, he took part in the large-scale military actions in Syunik
with his squad named Tseghakron. However, since he has been arrested,
he was regularly rumored that he did not participate in any military
action.
Lragir.am talked to Shant Harutiunyan's brothers-in-arms who say
those rumors are groundless and offensive.
Veteran of war and writer Vahe Avetyan told Lragir.am that it is
strange when someone doubts Shant Harutiunyan's military past in a
stage when Shant stands up with slogans of brotherhood, equal rights
and freedom and is arrested for that.
"10,000-15,000 people participated in the war but today there are
120,000 registered veterans in Armenia. And I'm not surprised that
110,000 liars would discredit 10,000-15,000 soldiers," he notes.
Vahe Avetyan remembers that Shant Harutiunyan's squad participated
in the fight against the Soviet Army in Nubarashen.
"The HAB, and even the so-called Mush and the others were afraid to
fight the Russians, they said it's a provocation and ran away. They
let the Russian troops enter Yerevan just like earlier they entered
Baku and killed several thousands of people, earlier there was the
massacres of Tbilisi. It was going round towns. In Nubarashen the
Tseghakron squad led by Shant stood up against the Soviet Army,"
he told us.
Besides, Vahe Avetyan remembers that Shant Harutiunyan was able to
seize a lot of weapons and ammunition from the Russian troops which
was later used to defend Syunik. "There were several such offensives
against the Russian army, and one of those actions was headed by Shant
Harutiunyan. Besides, he was sieged, in Syunik, and Ashot Navasardyan
was informed about it. The Russian military representatives sent a
note to Ashot Navasardyan and asked him to urge Shant to return the
weapons and they would not launch a military action and hit them.
Shant remained sieged for a week but refused to return the weapons. He
said I will not give any weapon to the invader of my country, let them
come and take it. It was 1990. How can they question the military past
of this person? First they put him to prison, now they are discrediting
him. In order to devalue what this person said, they tell him to prove
that he is he. Who are you to prove something to you? You who doubt,
what have you done for this country?" Vahe Avetyan says.
Vigen Tsatryan, an activist of the movement of Artsakh, veteran of
war in Artsakh remembers that even an ordinary soldier of Shant
Harutiunyan's squad had high defense capability. "It would be
impossible to be at the defense line of Zangezour and not know who
Shant Harutiunyan was. It could be only someone who dealt with defense
after 1992 and to them service is only the state army, without thinking
how the state survived till the creation of the army and how the army
was created," Vigen Tsatryan said in an interview with Lragir.am.
He also remembers that in 1990 Shant Harutiunyan with his squad
disarmed the Soviet troops and seized a lot of arms and ammunition.
"The action was implemented under Shant's command, Shant, Pagan Gago,
Misak, Shant's other guys disarmed. I only hid those weapons. We used
those weapons later in 1992 in Kapan. In 1992, two days after they
started firing Kapan Shant's squad picked up those weapons and went
there. And all the people of Kapan know it. If this is not a military
action, what is a military action then?" he says.
Vigen Tsatryan says there were situations during the war when Shant
Harutiunyan held the most staunch position. "It was not just a
matter of holding a gun. The rights solutions were to be found in
each situation. It was a very difficult task," he says.
Vigen Tsatryan remembers that during the war only Shant Harutiunyan's
squad had machine guns which he had seized from the Soviet troops. "It
was essential to counterattack the sudden attacks of the enemy at
important points. It was important, people saw there were guns and
were encouraged to not leave their houses. It did not occur to anyone
that they would later need proof that they fought. We did not have
proper shoes to wear, let alone a photo camera or a video camera to
take evidence. Those who had their pictures taken had the special
necessity for photographing," he noted.
Raphael Asryan, the commander of the first unit of volunteers, later
commander of a company, remembers that Shant Harutiunyan took an
active part in the defense of Syunik.
"I was the commander of the volunteers. I guarded the village of
Uzhanist, Yeghvard, with my squad. First Shant Disarmed the Russian
troops. When the HAB regimen was created, a company was created in
Kapan, I was its commander, Shant and his squad did not join the
company but controlled Kapan-Goris road running along the border. He
took part in any action that was in Kapan. It is not only me who
knows this, all the people of Kapan do," Raphael Asryan said in an
interview with Lragir.am
- See more at:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/country/view/32172#sthash.OONOLFfe.dpuf
Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
Country - Tuesday, 25 March 2014, 17:26
The leader of Tseghakron Party Shant Harutiunyan has been held in
custody for already five months since the famous events of November 5.
He was charged with violence against a representative of authorities.
Shant Harutiunyan's advocate Inesa Petrosyan has stated for a number
of times that corpus delicti is missing in this case because the
policeman against whom Shant Harutiunyan used violence on November
5 was wearing plain clothes.
The political prisoner Shant Harutiunyan is a veteran of war in
Artsakh, he took part in the large-scale military actions in Syunik
with his squad named Tseghakron. However, since he has been arrested,
he was regularly rumored that he did not participate in any military
action.
Lragir.am talked to Shant Harutiunyan's brothers-in-arms who say
those rumors are groundless and offensive.
Veteran of war and writer Vahe Avetyan told Lragir.am that it is
strange when someone doubts Shant Harutiunyan's military past in a
stage when Shant stands up with slogans of brotherhood, equal rights
and freedom and is arrested for that.
"10,000-15,000 people participated in the war but today there are
120,000 registered veterans in Armenia. And I'm not surprised that
110,000 liars would discredit 10,000-15,000 soldiers," he notes.
Vahe Avetyan remembers that Shant Harutiunyan's squad participated
in the fight against the Soviet Army in Nubarashen.
"The HAB, and even the so-called Mush and the others were afraid to
fight the Russians, they said it's a provocation and ran away. They
let the Russian troops enter Yerevan just like earlier they entered
Baku and killed several thousands of people, earlier there was the
massacres of Tbilisi. It was going round towns. In Nubarashen the
Tseghakron squad led by Shant stood up against the Soviet Army,"
he told us.
Besides, Vahe Avetyan remembers that Shant Harutiunyan was able to
seize a lot of weapons and ammunition from the Russian troops which
was later used to defend Syunik. "There were several such offensives
against the Russian army, and one of those actions was headed by Shant
Harutiunyan. Besides, he was sieged, in Syunik, and Ashot Navasardyan
was informed about it. The Russian military representatives sent a
note to Ashot Navasardyan and asked him to urge Shant to return the
weapons and they would not launch a military action and hit them.
Shant remained sieged for a week but refused to return the weapons. He
said I will not give any weapon to the invader of my country, let them
come and take it. It was 1990. How can they question the military past
of this person? First they put him to prison, now they are discrediting
him. In order to devalue what this person said, they tell him to prove
that he is he. Who are you to prove something to you? You who doubt,
what have you done for this country?" Vahe Avetyan says.
Vigen Tsatryan, an activist of the movement of Artsakh, veteran of
war in Artsakh remembers that even an ordinary soldier of Shant
Harutiunyan's squad had high defense capability. "It would be
impossible to be at the defense line of Zangezour and not know who
Shant Harutiunyan was. It could be only someone who dealt with defense
after 1992 and to them service is only the state army, without thinking
how the state survived till the creation of the army and how the army
was created," Vigen Tsatryan said in an interview with Lragir.am.
He also remembers that in 1990 Shant Harutiunyan with his squad
disarmed the Soviet troops and seized a lot of arms and ammunition.
"The action was implemented under Shant's command, Shant, Pagan Gago,
Misak, Shant's other guys disarmed. I only hid those weapons. We used
those weapons later in 1992 in Kapan. In 1992, two days after they
started firing Kapan Shant's squad picked up those weapons and went
there. And all the people of Kapan know it. If this is not a military
action, what is a military action then?" he says.
Vigen Tsatryan says there were situations during the war when Shant
Harutiunyan held the most staunch position. "It was not just a
matter of holding a gun. The rights solutions were to be found in
each situation. It was a very difficult task," he says.
Vigen Tsatryan remembers that during the war only Shant Harutiunyan's
squad had machine guns which he had seized from the Soviet troops. "It
was essential to counterattack the sudden attacks of the enemy at
important points. It was important, people saw there were guns and
were encouraged to not leave their houses. It did not occur to anyone
that they would later need proof that they fought. We did not have
proper shoes to wear, let alone a photo camera or a video camera to
take evidence. Those who had their pictures taken had the special
necessity for photographing," he noted.
Raphael Asryan, the commander of the first unit of volunteers, later
commander of a company, remembers that Shant Harutiunyan took an
active part in the defense of Syunik.
"I was the commander of the volunteers. I guarded the village of
Uzhanist, Yeghvard, with my squad. First Shant Disarmed the Russian
troops. When the HAB regimen was created, a company was created in
Kapan, I was its commander, Shant and his squad did not join the
company but controlled Kapan-Goris road running along the border. He
took part in any action that was in Kapan. It is not only me who
knows this, all the people of Kapan do," Raphael Asryan said in an
interview with Lragir.am
- See more at:
http://www.lragir.am/index/eng/0/country/view/32172#sthash.OONOLFfe.dpuf