YEREVAN, MAY 10, NOYAN TAPAN. The newly creared "Group for Defence of Four" aims to protect the rights of former Armenian foreign minister Alexander Arzumanian, coordinator of the social initiative "For Defence of Liberates Territories" Zhirayr Sefilian, his comrade Vardan Malkhasian, and editor of the newspaper "Zhamanak Yerevan" Arman Babajanian, as well as to oppose any persecution of political dissidence and to eliminate causes of such actions. It is noted in the statement issued by the group that in the period of active social-political development, the Armenian authorities once again are trying to intimidate and silence the political dissidence by KGB methods - eavesdropping, arrests with the use of force. According to the authors of the statement, this is a logical continuation of home political situation in recent years. "Alexander Arzumanian - the political motives for his arrest are obvious - as well as the other above mentioned prisoners are subjected to criminal prosecution for their social and political activities and ideas," the group's statement reads. Human rights supporters Avetik Ishkhanian, Gayane Markosian, Amalia Kostanian, Vardan Harutyunian, Artur Sakunts and Edik Baghdasarian put their signatures to this statement.

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