Azernews.Az

YEREVAN – President Serzh Sarkisian has formally asked the Armenian parliament to declare a general amnesty, a move which is expected to lead to the release of all Armenian opposition members remaining in prison, Radio Liberty reported.

In a short statement on Friday, Sarkisian's office said the amnesty would be dedicated to the 20th anniversary of Armenia's independence to be celebrated in September. It did not specify which prisoners will be eligible for early release.

The National Assembly, which is dominated by government loyalists, already declared an amnesty two years ago, resulting in the release of hundreds of prisoners.

Among them were several dozen allies and supporters of opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian who were controversially imprisoned following postelection unrest in 2008.

Six other Armenian opposition figures are still behind bars. Sarkisian hinted at their impending release as he made a number of concessions to Ter-Petrosian's Armenian National Congress (HAK) late last month.

Those concessions included the lifting of a de facto government ban on opposition rallies in a key Yerevan square and a renewed investigation into the deadly clashes in March 2008 between security forces and Ter-Petrosian supporters demanding the rerun of a disputed presidential election.

Speaking at a HAK rally later in April, Ter-Petrosian declared that the Sarkisian administration has essentially met his three main preconditions for the start of a "dialogue" with his opposition alliance.

He predicted that all remaining "political prisoners" will be set free before the next HAK protest scheduled for May 31.

Ter-Petrosian also made clear that the HAK will avoid another potentially violent standoff with the Armenian authorities.

The HAK, which is Armenia's leading opposition force, launched a fresh campaign of antigovernment street protests in February, which were clearly inspired by popular uprisings in several Arab states.

Ter-Petrosian and his associates warned Sarkisian to call fresh national elections or face a similar revolt.