Leader of the Armenian National Congress Levon Ter-Petrosyan during his “unique” press conference talked about political prisoners of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) and reminded the public about the operation of “transporting drugs”. ANC leader announced that if there were political prisoners those years, then ARF would free them during their reigning years.

“Levon Ter-Petrosyan has either memory loss, which is quite possible due to his age, or he hopes that the public memory is bad and people don’t remember how they had lived those years”, said ARF Bureau member Vahan Hovhannisyan during his interview with Yerkir.

Generally, Ter-Petrosyan’s “Street press conference” made an impression on Vahan Hovhannesyan as if the years when Ter-Petrosyan was a president were “happy, refulgent, wonderful years” when democracy was ruling, when people were full with food and were living in justice.

“In reality, the most scandalous murders of politicians took place during the years when HE was president”, reminded ARF Bureau member.

In his speech Ter-Petrosyan had tried to connect “Dro” and “31” operations as if they were the same thing. Vahan Hovhannesyan reminded that they are totally different operations and by connecting Ter-Petrosyan tries to hide his and his administration’s crimes.

Vahan Hovhannesyan does not deny that people who were arrested because of “Dro” operation were really those who had committed crimes. However, closing the entire political party and accusing its leaders in other people’s crimes is wrong.

“Political persecutions of ARF which had started after “Dro” operation was REAL persecutions and in the result there were political prisoners, for example Hrant Margaryan and many more. They were classical political prisoners as they were accused of other people’s crimes and the entire political party was closed”, remembers Revolutionary figure.

Turning to “comrades that were not released from prisons” Vahan Hovhannesyan said that they were people who were suspected in crimes and the court had somehow proved that.

And when Ter-Petrosyan “excesses his position” all those who were suspected in committing crime were released from jails. Hovhannesyan remembers that in those “happy days” when “democracy” was ruling and “Parliament was a stage for political debates” Ter-Petrosyan’s people were entering offices by force, breaking computers and rummaging.

Hovhannesyan believes that it was Ter-Petrosyan’s ruling years that the return to authority with fake elections started, his “Police and half-police groups” marked the start of shooting at peaceful protestors.

 “They couldn’t scare people that had returned from Karabakh war with guns so they beat them with flag sticks....that was the reason that that time there were only injured people and not dead as in March 1”, said he.

Hovhannesyan is sure that Ter-Petrosyan blames ARF only to hide his own sins.

Vahan Hovhannesyan talking about his case said: “In the case of me and my friends it was clearly noted that these people were ready to use weapons as they didn’t have any hope that in Armenia one can come to authority by election. I do not want to erase it from my life for some so-called justification. I do not need that justification”, said Vahan Hovhannesyan and added that his battle was against Ter-Petrosyan’s regime.