YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is about to bring a lawsuit against the former president Levon Ter-Petrosyan for accusing the party of terrorism–an ARF spokesman’said on Thursday. The spokesman told RFE/RL that the libel suit is ready and will be submitted to the court in "two or three" days’ time.
In a rare interview with the media earlier this year–Ter-Petrosyan said he banned the ARF in December 1994 because it was "engaged in terror." He referred to two trials on murder and coup charges of dozens of ARF members and supporters. Most of them–including ARF leaders Vahan Hovanessian and Hrant Markarian–were given various prison sentences. However–the court did not endorse the prosecution’s claim that the party as a whole was behind the alleged crimes. The ARF was legalized and its leaders set free after Ter-Petrosyan’s resignation in February 1998.
The decision to sue Ter-Petrosyan was taken by the ARF leadership immediately after his remarks.