Ara-Alexander "Alec" Yenikomshian () (also known as Alec or Alex Yenikomechian) is an

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

political activist and journalist, a member of Founding Parliament secretariat, co-founder of the " Miatsum Initiative", Director of the "Monte Melkonyan" public organization, and former member of the

Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia (ASALA) was a militant organization active between 1975 and the 1990s whose stated goal was "to compel the Government of Turkey, Turkish Government to acknowledge publicly its responsibility for ...

(ASALA).

Biography

Ara-Alexander Yenikomshian was born in 1955 in Beirut. In 1978 he finished the Faculty of Economy of the

American University of Beirut The American University of Beirut (AUB; ) is a private, non-sectarian, and independent university chartered in New York with its main campus in Beirut, Lebanon. AUB is governed by a private, autonomous board of trustees and offers programs le ...

. He is best known for his participation in a

Geneva Geneva ( , ; ) ; ; . is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland and the most populous in French-speaking Romandy. Situated in the southwest of the country, where the Rhône exits Lake Geneva, it is the ca ...

hotel bombing on October 3, 1980, when a bomb that he was preparing together with Suzy Mahseredjian went off prematurely, leaving him blind and severing his left hand. Being the first disclosed members of ASALA, Yenikomshian and US citizen Mahseredjian were arrested. Authorities charged that the two had been waiting to be told where to plant the bomb when it exploded.Partisan of Armenian Terrorist Group Convicted On Explosives Charge. The Associated Press, February 9, 1981.Avowed Terrorist Convicted On Illegal-explosives Charge. Lakeland Ledger, February 10, 1981
/ref> Yenikomshian was convicted on an illegal-explosives charge, given an 18-month suspended sentence and expelled from Switzerland. Mahseredjian was convicted of extorting money for the ASALA, given an 18-month suspended sentence and expelled to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. Their arrest led to the formation of a new ASALA group called the " October 3 Group", which subsequently attacked

Swiss Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

targets in reprisal against the arrest and prosecution of Mahseredjian and Yenikomshian. In 1996 he moved to Armenia. Yenikomshian hosts ''Aylentrank'' on Lratvakan radio. He is a member of the Secretary of the ''PreParliament'' public organization (Armenia) and a leader of Sardarapat Movement.Alex Yenikomshian: Diaspora Must Participate in Struggle to Save Armenia
/ref>

Arrest

In July 2016 he participated in negotiations between the Armenian National Security Service (NSS) and the representatives of Sasna Tsrer group, that held the police building in Erebuni district of Yerevan from July 17 to July 31. He has been one of the main speakers at public rallies in Yerevan in the wake of the July 17 seizure of a police building. On July 27, 2016 Yenikomshian was arrested and held at the National Security Service detention center. His lawyer, Nikolay Baghdasaryan, reported that his client, who is blind and has one arm, was being kept in conditions deleterious to his health. "Yenikomshian cannot eat or move about normally. The conditions at the detention center are bad," he said. The lawyer believes the opposition activist was arrested merely to stop him from leading demonstrations. Baghdasaryan also called for an intervention by the Armenia's Human Rights Defender.

Monte Melkonian Monte Melkonian (; 25 November 1957 – 12 June 1993) was an Armenian-American revolutionary and left-wing nationalist militant. He was a commander in the Artsakh Defence Army and was killed while fighting against Azerbaijan in the First Na ...

's family, the Armenian Bar Association also appealed for his release. On August 8 the prosecutor decided to change the measure of restrain for Yenikomshian and he was released from Armavir penitentiary.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Yenikomshian, Alexander Armenian nationalists Living people People from Beirut Lebanese people of Armenian descent Armenian Secret Army for the Liberation of Armenia Year of birth missing (living people) Sasna Tsrer Pan-Armenian Party politicians