Shant Harutyunyan (, born February 3, 1965, in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , ; ; sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia, as well as one of the world's List of oldest continuously inhabited cities, oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerev ...

) is an Armenian political and public activist. He was the leader of the ''Tseghakron'' party until 2004 and is the current leader of the United National Initiative party.

Biography

He is the son of Shahen Harutyunyan, the founder of

National United Party (Armenia) The National United Party (; ) was an Armenian underground political party in the Soviet Union. It operated from 1966 until 1987, when it was renamed Union for National Self-Determination (UNSD), which became the first democratic party in the U ...

. Harutyunyan was arrested for campaign against the ideology of

USSR The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

, and he was freed during the

Perestroika ''Perestroika'' ( ; rus, перестройка, r=perestrojka, p=pʲɪrʲɪˈstrojkə, a=ru-perestroika.ogg, links=no) was a political reform movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) during the late 1980s, widely associ ...

as he was recognized as a

political prisoner A political prisoner is someone imprisoned for their political activity. The political offense is not always the official reason for the prisoner's detention. There is no internationally recognized legal definition of the concept, although ...

. Since 1988 he participated in the Karabakh movement and the first Karabakh War. In 1997, he graduated from the Law Department of the Yerevan Hrachya Acharyan University. After March 1 riots he was arrested, then released. He was the only person who was set free after the March 1 riots before being kept in a mental house. After that Harutyunyan announced that he had been taken to a mental hospital by the order of Russian security services. On November 5, 2013 among with his followers he was arrested in Yerevan for anti-governmental accusations and attempt to walk to the presidential palace to start a "revolution". Fourteen activists were charged with Article 316.2 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (violence against a representative of the authorities). On November 18, 2013 a demonstration took place outside the National Security Service (NSS) building in

in defense of Harutyunyan and his supporters. Demonstrators also brought signs against Armenia joining the Russian-led Customs Union as Harutyunyan's struggle was also against what he calls

Russian imperialism Russian imperialism is the political, economic and cultural influence, as well as military power, exerted by Russia and its predecessor states, over other countries and territories. It includes the conquests of the Tsardom of Russia, the Russia ...

. He was transferred to the insane hospital. Human Rights Defense organization recognized them as political prisoners. The head of the Helsinki Committee in Armenia, Michael Danielyan considered Shant Harutyunyan a political prisoner as "his activity was politically motivated". Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vandazor office leader Artur Sakunts also believes that Shant Harutyunyan and the other 13 prisoners became Armenia’s “new group of political prisoners”. Different political activists supported Harutyunyan. "I feel big respect for Shant Harutyunyan. By his actions he wanted to show that he cannot stand the situation in the country any more", said Armen Martirosyan, Deputy Chairman of the Heritage Party, at a press conference. He added that Harutyunyan's initiative was doomed to failure but he was able to make people understand his idea.

Paruyr Hayrikyan Paruyr Arshaviri Hayrikyan (born July 5, 1949) is an Armenian politician and former Soviet dissident. He was an early member and leader of the National United Party (NUP), which sought Armenia's independence from the Soviet Union. He spent a tot ...

also expressed support for Shant Harutyunian. On December 28, 2013 wives of Shant Harutyunyan and other detainees demanded to lift ban on meeting with relatives. Armenian Women's Front joined them. In January 2014 a number of Armenian citizens signed an Open letter ''The life of Shant Harutyunyan is in danger!'' addressed to

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

, Didier Burkhalter and

Ban Ki-moon Ban Ki-moon (born 13 June 1944) is a South Korean politician and diplomat who served as the eighth secretary-general of the United Nations between 2007 and 2016. Prior to his appointment as secretary-general, Ban was the South Korean minister ...

. "On hunger strike now, he is left without necessary medical supervision in a critical condition, with no possibility of communicating with the outside world, he did not have the right to meet his family members, any visit and contact is refused to him and the other 14 political prisoners", says the letter. On January 9, 2014 Harutyunian was transferred to Convicts’ Hospital institution. "We need more people like Shant Harutyunyan", said

Raffi Hovannisian Raffi K. Richardi Hovannisian (; ; born 20 November 1959) is an Armenian politician, the first Foreign Minister of Armenia and the founding leader of the national liberal Heritage party. He is the founder of the Armenian Center for National and ...

during the march in support of political prisoners on January 10, 2014. Participants of the march met with Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasian. "I am responsible for his health and will do everything so that nothing will endanger his health," said the Minister.Justice minister on Shant Harutyunian case
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Links

"Shant Harutyunyan acted in the frames of Universal Declaration of Human Right"Իմ քաղաքական զարթոնքը

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harutyunyan, Shant Politicians from Yerevan 1967 births Living people Soviet Armenians

Biography

See also

Links

References