What did the "Liberation Movement" want to do and what did it achieve? Nairi Hohikyan

Nairi Hohikyan, a member of the initiative group of the "Liberation Movement," wrote on his Facebook page: "What did the 'Liberation Movement' want to do and what did it achieve in one week? The idea of the 'Liberation Movement,' which started on November 20, 2021, in Armenia, had been born much earlier, but my friends and I were trying to find the best ways to implement it.

The car march that started from Syunik and the blocking of central roads in Yerevan on November 22 caught not only the Pashinyan regime off guard but also many political forces, great powers that had wagered on Armenia, and regional countries. That same evening, the rally held in Republic Square in Yerevan attracted approximately 3,500 to 4,000 people, which is quite significant for a newly launched movement.

This, of course, disrupted the calculations of internal and external political forces. In the first 3-4 days, the 'Liberation Movement' was gaining momentum, which could not help but worry Nikol Pashinyan and his political and geopolitical patrons. They thought we were coming to seize power, thus deploying their entire arsenal against us, from law enforcement agencies to counter-propaganda and troll factories.

Those who positioned themselves in the opposition sphere but were actually serving the interests of the Pashinyan regime also saw us as a threat. Even some genuine opposition forces viewed us as competitors. However, from the very beginning, we understood that today aspiring to take power could only arise under several circumstances:

• If you are insane and do not understand the state in which Armenia is brought to its knees by Pashinyan;
• If you decide to commit political suicide;
• If you have enormous experience and skill in reviving a country reduced to ruins.

However, no member of the 'Liberation Movement' has sought or seeks to take power, honestly declaring that we take responsibility for two things:

1. To free Armenia from the evil of Nikol Pashinyan and his system;
2. To serve the future Armenia with our professional capabilities, without unnecessary ambitions.

Since November 20, various political and public figures and many citizens of our country have believed in the principles of the 'Liberation Movement.' Our initiated movement bore fruits, the most significant of which was likely the closed discussion that preceded the meeting of the leaders of three countries in Sochi on November 26, during which the Armenian side indicated the processes occurring in Armenia and emphasized that they fear a revolution.

In the name of sincerity, we did not succeed in preventing the signing of an anti-Armenian document, but we managed to get a regular statement signed instead of a contract, which has no legal power. We succeeded in gathering several thousand people under one idea and reigniting hope throughout the Armenian community—within the Republic of Armenia, Artsakh, and the diaspora.

We do not have the right to disappoint people. In the second phase of the 'Liberation Movement,' we will discuss the possibilities of unification with various political and public forces to strike a stronger blow against internal and external enemies by mobilizing the entire Armenian nation. We are confident in this. There is no retreat..."