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Jirayr Sefilyan: "Politics Is The Reason Why They Keep Denying Me Ci

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  • Jirayr Sefilyan: "Politics Is The Reason Why They Keep Denying Me Ci

    JIRAYR SEFILYAN: "POLITICS IS THE REASON WHY THEY KEEP DENYING ME CITIZENSHIP"
    Sona Avagyan

    http://hetq.am/en/politics/sefilyan-20/
    s ociety politics
    2010/02/11

    Jirayr Sefilyan reflected today on repeated failed attempts to receive
    RoA citizenship and stated that former President Kocharyan refused him
    twice and current President Sargsyan refused him once. Mr. Sefilyan,
    by law, had to wait one year after his last refusal before applying
    for citizenship once again.

    That one year recently expired and Mr. Sefilyan's lawyer went to
    inquire about reapplying for citizenship. It now appears that another
    impediment has surfaced that will not even allow Mr. Sefilyan from
    filing citizenship application papers.

    "I applied a few days after being released from jail. Several months
    passed until I received the refusal and by that time I had to legally
    register as a resident in Armenia and applied for a special status
    10 year passport granted to foreign citizens. I was refused this
    document as well. I was forced to apply for a one year extension
    of my residency status and this too was denied. Thus, from a legal
    standpoint, I reside in Armenia illegally. This has been the case
    for the past 8-9 years. To my amazement, the authorities now tell me
    that I can apply for citizenship when my residency status has been
    rectified," said Mr. Sefilyan.

    The Karabakh war veteran and member of the Sardarapat Initiative said
    that politics were why he hasn't been granted Armenian citizenship
    and that the manipulations by the government merely show just how
    far we have strayed from our national ideals of uniting the Armenian
    people on what remains of the Armenian homeland.

    "The main thing right now is that I am here and will stay here. It's
    no wonder that I haven't left for the past ten years. They'd never let
    me back in if I did leave," Sefilyan said at today's press conference.

    Mr. Sefilyan said that he wasn't preparing to take his case to
    the European Court if his citizenship issue wasn't resolved by the
    Armenian authorities.
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