A French citizen of Armenian descent who actively participated in this year’s
post-election rallies in Yerevan is facing deportation from Armenia, it was
claimed on Thursday.



Sarkis Hatspanian was born and grew up in Turkey before relocating to Armenia
from France in 1990. He took part in the subsequent Armenian-Azerbaijani war for
Nagorno-Karabakh. A critic of Armenia’s current leadership, Hatspanian has
publicly backed former President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s bid to return to power,
participating in massive anti-government demonstrations held in the wake of last
February’s presidential election.



Hatspanian has been holed up in his Yerevan apartment since Wednesday evening,
refusing to open its doors to police officers. Speaking to RFE/RL by phone, he
said they want to take him to the police department of the city’s Kentron
district.



Plainclothes police officers could be seen knocking on the apartment’s door the
next day. One told RFE/RL that they will stay there “until Mr. Sarkis comes
out.”



Two members of the Armenian parliament were also at the scene. One of them,
Artsvik Minasian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, said officials at the
Kentron police told him that former President Robert Kocharian revoked
Hatspanian’s long-term residency permit in March and that they want to question
the French-Armenian activist in connection with that move.



That Kocharian signed a relevant executive order shortly before he left office
was confirmed by officials at President Serzh Sarkisian’s administration. Under
Armenian law, such orders take effect only after the official notification of
individuals affected by them.



“I am absolutely not aware of that decision,” insisted Hatspanian. He said he
has left and returned to Armenia since March and had no problems with
immigration authorities. “I flew back to Yerevan as recently as on the night
from October 6 to 7. They told me nothing at the airport,” he said.



Armen Harutiunian, Armenia’s human rights ombudsman, said he is dealing with the
case and already has questions to the authorities. “His residency permit was
revoked by the president but he still managed to re-enter Armenia,” Harutiunian
told RFE/RL. “If that is confirmed, we need to clarify how he entered the
country without having the right to live there.”



Harutiunian added that under Armenian law, the authorities can not kick out
Hatspanian because he has underage children in the country.



Zhirayr Sefilian, another, more prominent war veteran lacking Armenian
citizenship and strongly backing the Ter-Petrosian-led opposition, also
reportedly faced deportation from the country as he completed a controversial
18-month prison sentence last June. In late May, the police filed a relevant
lawsuit to Armenia’s Administrative Court on the grounds that Sefilian’s
residency permit has expired.



The court refused to consider the demand on a technicality. The police have made
no fresh attempts to deport him since then.

By Anush Martirosian