OSCE HAILS RELEASE OF ARMENIAN OPPOSITIONIST PRISONERS

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) is satisfied with members of the Republic Armenian opposition party Aramazd Zakarian and Zhora Sapeyan being released from prison and the withdrawal of the charge against them. This is mentioned in the statement of the head of the OSCE Yerevan Office, Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, published by the OSCE Secretariat in Vienna yesterday. The OSCE also approves of the Armenian authorities releasing member of the Bureau of the same party Suren Sureniants, who has given a written statement of not leaving the city, and hopes that investigation against him will be ended. In Pryakhin’s words, “The OSCE hopes that the step taken by the Armenian authorities will promote political dialogue between the opposition and the ruling coalition of Armenia and will boost stabilization in this country”. Simultaneously, the head of the OSCE mission in Yerevan regretted over the limitation of the rights to the freedom of assembly and speech in Armenia, “a signatory of the OSCE main provisions and the Istanbul Charter.” He emphasized that the OSCE Office in Yerevan is going to continue to closely monitor political developments in Armenia and support democratic processes in the country.