Jirair Sefilian

Early and personal life

Sefilian graduated from Kevork Chatalbashian College in Beirut in 1986. During the Lebanese Civil War, he took part in the defense of the Armenian Quarters of Beirut (mainly Bourj Hammoud) from 1983 to 1990.

In 1990, 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 1991, as a military detachment commander, Sefilian took part in the defense of several districts of Nagorno-Karabakh. In 1992 he was chosen by the A.R.F 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, Battle of Kalbajar, Mardakert and Martuni Offensives.

Following the Nagorno-Karabakh War, in 1997-1998 he was the Artsakh Defense Army Brigade Commander. Sefilian was awarded with the First Degree Order of the Combat Cross (“Martakan Khach”). He is an army lieutenant-colonel of the Republic of Armenia. In 1999 he left the A.R.F. Since 2001, Sefilian has been coordinating the activities of the public initiative group, "Liberated territories".

Sefilian and Vartan Malkhasian, the leaders of opposition group called the Alliance of Armenian Volunteers, were arrested in 2006. Human rights observers charged the arrest was politically motivated and that authorities used the controversial article of the Criminal Code to intimidate the opposition. Ombudsman of Armenia Armen Harutyunyan also condemned Sefilian's and his friends' arrest and marked that Sefilian, Vartan Malkhasian, and Vahan Aroyan "didn't break the judicial legislation".

According to Bulgarian journalist, Colonel Tsvetana Paskaleva, "Jirair is one of the living icons I knew - Bekor, Monte, Samvel Babayan... I'm happy that I know him"!

Imprisonment and release

On 6 August 2007, Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan of the Kentron and Nork-Marash Court of First Instance found Sefilian not guilty of violating Article 301 of the Republic of Armenia Criminal Code (issuing anti-constitutional statements), but found him guilty of violating the first section of Article 235 of the Criminal Code (illegal possession of a weapon) and sentenced him to 1.5 years imprisonment.

Sefilian has 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. The NSS is working to the gain of two people (Robert Kocharyan and Serge Sargsyan). 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 2012, the European Court of Human Rights fined the Armenian authorities for keeping Sefilian under pre-trial arrest without sufficient legal grounds. According to the court, the National Security Service had illegally wiretapped Sefilian’s phone conversations.

In 2009, together with Tigran Khzmalyan and Alexander Yenikomshian he founded the Sardarapat Movement. Sefilian is the leader of Founding Parliament opposition group.

On January 31, 2015 Sefilian and other members of Founding Parliament were forcibly barred from entering the territory of the Republic of Artsakh. The Karabakh police attacked the procession of about 30 cars. More than two dozen people, including Sefilian, were injured. As a result, the Karabakh president ordered a police inquiry into the incident.

Citizenship issue

Sefilian completed his 18-month sentence on 9 June 2008, and was subsequently released from prison. He was greeted by hundreds of Armenians who came "to congratulate the hero on his liberty". However, Sefilian continues to face the threat of deportation from Armenia and has since begun seeking political asylum and citizenship in the Republic of Artsakh. As of May 2008, Sefilian has been denied Armenian citizenship.

Second arrest

On April 8, 2015 Armenian authorities arrested the leaders of “Founding Parliament” opposition group seeking to launch antigovernment protests on April 24. The National Security Service and the Investigative Committee of Armenia announced that “organization of mass disturbances at public places on April 24, 2015 has been thwarted as a result of their joint action". Sefilian and his three associates had their homes searched at the same day. Several human rights organizations of Armenia recognized them as political prisoners. The head of Armenian Helsinki committee Avetik Ishkhanyan called them prisoners of conscience, "because they did not take any action, they do not incite riots, but only aimed civil disobedience".

Sefilian, a Karabakh war hero, and other leading members of the Founding Parliament have been released from custody in May 2015 following a prosecutor’s request to change the measure of restraint applied against them to a written undertaking not to leave the area of permanent residence.

On June 30, 2015 the Founding Parliament issued a statement claiming that unidentified individuals were following Sefilian for hours. The political movement demanded Armenian law enforcement to identify the individuals following Sefilian.

"New Armenia" Front

In 2015, along with Raffi Hovannisian, he founded the New Armenia Public Salvation Front to prevent Serj Sargsyan's constitutional change initiative.

Third arrest

On June 20, 2016, Jirair Sefilian was arrested yet again. By message of Special Investigation Service, Jirair Sefilian and a group of people planned to seize buildings and communication facilities, including the Yerevan TV tower.

Varuzhan Avetisian, a senior New Armenia member, claimed that the opposition leader was arrested because he planned to campaign against Armenian territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.

On July 17, 2016 a group of armed men from an opposition group stormed a district police headquarters in Yerevan, holding several hostages. The opposition group Founding Parliament issued a statement demanding the release of the group’s leader, Zhirayr Sefilian.

On August 8, 2016 Sefilian sent a letter from the prison, where he demands Serzh Sargsyan’s resignation and snap parliamentary and presidential elections.

Political views

In his letters and announcements made from the prison, Jirair Sefilian supported former Armenian president and opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosyan despite ideological differences with the latter, but later (in 2009) he criticized Ter-Petrosyan's views on Armenia-Azerbaijan and Armenia-Turkey relations and suggested that he leave the all-Armenian people's movement. On 30 October 2008, Sefilian alongside intellectuals and a group of prominent activists founded the Miatsum (Unification) National Initiative which campaigns against Armenian territorial concessions to Azerbaijan over the Karabakh dispute.

On 8 May 2013, Sefilian stated in an interview that Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan had a very small role in the Nagorno-Karabakh War and accused them of corruption.