Retired colonel was offered to stop struggle if he wanted to be at large (video)
Retired army colonel Volodya Avetisyan does not admit the charges brought against him and says his arrest is politically motivated. During today’s hearing in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan’s Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun districts, Mr Avetisyan announced that before announcing sit-down strikes and other protest actions last year, unknown people visited him and warned him to stop the fight, promising him a business in Etchmiadzin or Yerevan in return. While in custody, Avetisyan was visited by the investigator who again offered him to stop the struggle in return of freedom. “I do not sell my soul and country,” Avetisyan announced in the courtroom. His words were welcomed with loud applause by his comrades-in-arms and friends who began vociferating his name. Volodya Avetisyan, an active participant of protests held by Karabakh War veterans, was detained on September 20, 2013, on suspicion of receiving $2000 from an official of the Ministry of Defense for assistance to release an Armenian citizen from military service. The next court sitting is slated for April 2.
