You Close the National Assembly from the Inside, We Will Do It from the Outside: Relatives of Captives Address Opposition MPs

Relatives of captives and missing persons gathered in front of the National Assembly received opposition MPs Asparam Krpeyan, Anna Grigoryan, and Elinar Vardanyan. We have reported that the relatives of captives and missing persons spent the night in front of the National Assembly.

They were hurt by the words of the Assembly's President, Alen Simonyan, who claimed that the captives are deserters and do not exist for him. The relatives of the captives demand that Simonyan clarify his statement.

“Yesterday, we raised the question of whether what Simonyan said reflects the view of his political force or if it is his personal opinion. We have not received an answer to this point. Today we will raise a similar question again, and if there is no response once more, then it means this is the position of their political force,” said Krpeyan.

A relative of one of the captives suggested that the opposition MPs should close the entrances to the National Assembly from the inside while the relatives do so from the outside until they receive clarification.

“We are ready—let them bring our sons back home, and if my son is a traitor, let him be judged by the strictest laws. If I find out that my son has betrayed and disclosed state secrets to the enemy, I will not accept such a child. But our boys went to war for the sake of the homeland,” said another parent.

He reminded that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had proposed to exchange his son, Ashot, for all the captives, and now perhaps he should consider such a step.

Recall that on December 7, a secretly filmed video featuring Alen Simonyan emerged online, in which the President of the National Assembly states that the parents of the captives also know their sons have committed desertion.

Later, Alen Simonyan commented that the video was edited and his words were presented out of context. Nevertheless, he reaffirmed that all service members who have laid down their arms and surrendered will face criminal prosecution.

Following the statement, relatives of captives and missing persons had gathered both at Republic Square near the government building and the relatives of Shirak captives protested near the provincial governor's office. The words of Alen Simonyan have angered the relatives of the captured.