The law enforcement official, as stated by Avetisyan, did not elaborate on the reasons for Sefilyan`s arrest, claiming only that the oppositionist had no right to leave the city when campaigning against last year`s constitutional amendments since he had been arrested in spring, 2015 – and subsequently released on his own recognizance – for allegedly planning anti-government protests in Yerevan on April 24, the `100th anniversary` of the so-called `Armenian genocide`.
The members of the opposition movement, however, are convinced the real reason behind the threat is Founding Parliament`s recent statement calling on Armenians to “take up arms in self-defense, if necessary.”
“State officials are so ignorant that they did not even understand this statement. Besides, it seems that they are not aware that, according to the law, a pledge to not be absent from one`s principal place of residence does not prevent the exercise of their political rights,” Avetisyan noted.
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