Jirayr sefilian biography for kids
Zhirayr and his associates were released from arrest only in May Zhirayr Sefilyan, a military leader, continued his political career. Actively opposed the constitutional changes in the Republic of Armenia. In December , a referendum was due. Before him, Zhirayr, along with Raffi Hovannisian, announced the formation of the opposition group "New Armenia".
More than 60 percent of voters voted in a referendum for changing the current constitution. But with their opinion, "New Armenia" did not agree, and in December a rally was held at Freedom Square. In June , Sefilian was again arrested. According to the investigation, the politician planned together with his accomplices the armed seizure of the Yerevan television tower and a number of administrative buildings.
In the investigation committee, there were reports that Zhirayr was in contact with citizens who were engaged in transportation and storage of arms and ammunition. And they were ready to apply them on the first order. In July representatives of the "Constituent Parliament" made an attempt to release Sefilyan. Armed groups of people captured a police building on the outskirts of Yerevan.
According to the demands of the raiders, Zhirayr Sefilyan was to be released from arrest. As a result of the armed seizure of the building, one PPS employee was killed. They were Arthur Vanoyan, a police colonel, who dared to resist the raiders. On July 20, clashes between policemen and opposition demonstrators took place at the captured police building.
As a result, law enforcement authorities arrested people. Many protesters were injured of varying severity and were taken to the nearest city hospitals. Among the victims were also policemen and journalists. Responsibility for the capture of the police building was officially assumed by the organization "Constituent Parliament". The attackers who held the hostages continued the business of Sefilyan about overthrowing the current government.
Zhirayr was not released on the requirements of the invaders. Childhood Zhirayr Sefilyan was born on In September , Jirair Sefilian participated in the founding of the Sasna Tsrer Pan-Armenian Party together with his political allies, including participants in the Yerevan hostage crisis. In May , Jirair Sefilian signed a declaration called for snap elections and the formation of a new government, which was followed by the founding of the National Democratic Pole, a political alliance including Sasna Tsrer.
Jirair Sefilian has called for Armenia to prepare for a new war to recover the territories lost to Azerbaijan during the war and conquer new territories from Azerbaijan. Tools Tools. In other projects. Wikimedia Commons Wikidata item.
Jirayr sefilian biography for kids
This biographical article does not give any references or sources. Please help by adding reliable sources. He has long campaigned against any territorial concessions to Azerbaijan in Nagorno-Karabakh and against Russian influence in Armenia. Sefilian graduated from Kevork Chatalbashian College in Beirut in In , with the purpose of participating in the Karabakh movement he was sent to Armenia by the ARF Dashnaktsutyun , Sefilian moved to Armenia with his family.
As a military instructor, he was involved in the formation of self-defense units in Karabakh and Syunik. In , as a commander of a military detachment, Sefilian took part in the defense of several districts of Nagorno-Karabakh. In he was chosen by the ARF to be the commander of the Shushi special military company, playing a significant role during the Battle of Shusha.
He also participated in other battles, including the Capture of Aghdam , the Battle of Kalbajar , and the Mardakert and Martuni Offensives. He holds the rank of lieutenant-colonel in the Armenian Army. In he left the ARF. Since , Sefilian has been coordinating the activities of the public initiative group, "Liberated Territories Defense Committee".
Sefilian and Vartan Malkhasian, the leaders of opposition group called the Alliance of Armenian Volunteers, were arrested in Human rights observers claimed that the arrest was politically motivated and that authorities used a controversial article of the criminal code to intimidate the opposition. On August 6, , Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan of the Kentron and Nork-Marash Court of First Instance found Sefilian not guilty of violating Article of Armenia's Criminal Code issuing anti-constitutional statements , but found him guilty of violating the first section of Article of the Criminal Code illegal possession of a weapon and sentenced him to 1.
Sefilian claimed his innocence and that no crime has been committed on his part: "This is not a court, this is a theater. Even the biggest supporter of the government cannot show evidence of corpus delicti in our actions. This is all an order. All those who had something to do with this case will eventually answer for it. The famous pair is foolishly trying to punish me and to scare the people.
My dear people, we must not fear this anti-Armenian regime, we must struggle against it. This amoral regime is not powerful, we are powerful. In , the European Court of Human Rights fined the Armenian authorities for keeping Sefilian under pre-trial arrest without sufficient legal grounds.