Execution is better
Police officers prohibited relatives of the prisoners sentenced to life in prison from holding a protest today in front of the presidential residence and they stood in front of the Marshal Baghramian statue instead.
There are currently 81 prisoners sentenced to life in prison of which 42 were sentenced to execution during the years of the Soviet Union.
The protesters mentioned that Robert Kocharyan replaced execution with life in prison, but legally speaking, he had to replace it with amnesty or nothing at all. They also said that there are many people who were sentenced to prison based on a misunderstanding.
Hayk Yenokyan, brother of Mher Yenokyan who is sentenced to life in prison, said that there are prisoners whose time in prison must be revised.
According to him, the President has the right to grant amnesty to prisoners sentenced to life in prison according to the Constitution. But amnesty has been replaced by another degree of punishment.
Among protesters was wife of Ashot Knyazyan who is sentenced to life in prison for the case of "October 27".
"I want to see justice. My husband has been in jail for the past ten years. He shouldn't have been sentenced to life in prison. He was just a driver and didn't know where he was going. He has his share of the blame, but not to be in prison for life," she said.
Some protesters said that the changes or amnesty should not refer to the case of "October 27".
Today, the protesters handed a petition to the President and agree to seeing each of the cases of those sentenced to life in prison.
The relatives also handed a letter to Chairman of the Public Council Vazgen Manukyan.
