Vahan Martirosyan tells why he seeks asylum in Azerbaijan

Armenian citizen, who calls himself the head of the "intra-national liberation movement" Vahan Martirosyan today held a press conference in Baku, saying that asked  for political asylum in Azerbaijan. He said that he  was persecuted in Armenia and was forced to flee to Azerbaijan, accusing the government of Serge Sargsyan of all his  troubles.

A lawsuit was fabricated against him, and he was threatened with arrest. In addition, he and the family were subjected to beatings, as a result, Martirosyan’s pregnant wife lost her baby.

He arrived in Baku via Georgia with the support of activists  of civil society of the two countries. He expressed satisfaction with the way he was received in Azerbaijan, and said he plans to move to a third country. "However, this does not depend on me. In the meantime, I ask the Red Cross and the United Nations to take under the protection my  mother and brother, who are  in Armenia."  Responding to questions about the situation in Armenia, Martirosyan noted the high level of corruption, poverty and deep social stratification between rich and poor.

In Karabakh, there are about 40,000 population, mainly elderly and the poorest. The villages are empty,  you can see no one  on the roads, all leave for earning money in Russia.

Responding the  question on displaced persons from Syria, about 15-20 thousand Syrian Armenians have arrived in Armenia. Some of them were forced to leave because  there are no  money to keep them there. At the same time, some of the Syrian Armenians  were forced to join the  Armenian army, and deployed to the Karabakh front. "I was myself in Karabakh and saw them myself,"  said Martirosyan.

As for the ordinary citizens of Armenia, no one wants war. This will be the greatest tragedy of the two peoples," he said, noting that the Armenian army is not able to repel the army of Azerbaijan. There are young and inexperienced guys who were specially sent to the front. Therefore, all  who can try to avoid the army, said Martirosyan.

Asking the question on belonging the Karabakh,  Martirosyan said that if  there is a fair poll, the majority of residents will vote for the return to Azerbaijan. People are fed up with poverty, they want to live normally and peacefully with  neighbors. If  to open  borders and  show normal relations, many Armenians will want to come to Azerbaijan, said Martirosyan.

At the end of the press conference journalists  were given Martirosyan’s written statement  which said: "Being a  head of the civil initiative "Intra-national Liberation Movement"  I  struggle against the criminal regime of Serzh Sargsyan and against total corruption of the authorities of Armenia as a whole. It is for this activity me and my colleagues over the last three years were harassed and pressured by the government  of Armenia. The logical conclusion of this persecution on August 14 this year, was an attack on me and my family in my own home by bodyguards and relatives of Sagsian’s  close friend   Mger Sedrakyan , MP from the ruling Republican Party of Armenia    . As a result of the attack, I was severely beaten in front of my two-year-old son and elderly mother, and my wife had a miscarriage as a result of the beatings.

After this incident, I was offered a bribe to hush up the case and stop media coverage. I rejected the proposal, and they  began to pressure my mother, and filed a lawsuit  against. Being concerned for the safety of my family, I decided to immediately leave Armenia.

Now I want to open the eyes of the media , the world community, international organizations and the Armenian Diaspora on the criminal nature of the illegitimate regime of Serzh Sargsyan and iniquities committed by his entourage.

 The "Karabakh clan", headed by Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan does not like Armenia and its people, and hates it." -05В-