Open Letter to his Excellency Serzh Sargsyan‏

Dear Friend,

In a couple of days the Open Letter to his Excellency Serzh Sargsyan will be made public. Please indicate whether you would endorse the letter. Provide Name and Surname, Title/Occupation, City/Country.

It would be much appreciated if you could include the Armenian version of your name too as the original of the letter will be in Armenian.

Thankfully,

Dikran Abrahamian

Dikran Abrahamian (dikran@keghart.com)

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To Honourable Serzh Sargsyan, President of Republic of Armenia :

Your Excellency:

One year has gone by since the tragic events that unfolded in the streets of Yerevan on March 1-2, 2008, following the presidential elections. Armenia’s security forces opened fire at civilians who were protesting an election process marred by irregularities and fraud. The violent show of force resulted in 10 deaths and numerous injuries, thus inflicting a deep wound to a people’s psyche.

You heard the voices of outrage coming immediately from the Armenian communities of the Diaspora as well as the world community at large, and you pledged to act swiftly to restore your people’s confidence in the fairness and integrity of your administration. Specifically, you promised to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into this tragedy, to bring to justice those responsible for the violence, and to release the arrested protesters.

We are alarmed to note that your administration has made little or no progress on this front: none of the deaths has been accounted for and most of the arrested protesters remain in prison.

President Sargsyan, we recognize that Armenia is facing major economic difficulties and grave security issues. We are also aware that your administration is engaged in intense diplomatic activities on multiple fronts. While it is understandable that your government might be preoccupied with these challenges, it is crucial to remember that Armenia can not solve its domestic problems or improve its international stature if Armenian governments fail to honor the basic human rights of its citizens, including the rights to freedom of expression and a fair judiciary.

We

call on you to act urgently on your promises to restore justice, fairness, and accountability to the victims of the post-election violence and their families.

We eagerly await your public response.

Respectfully,

Concerned Individuals

CC: Honourable Minister of Diaspora Affairs

Endorsed by: Davit Zargarian, Haig Misakyan, Dikran Abrahamian, Avo Bedrossian

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