Paruyr Hayrikyan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paruyr Hayrikyan
|
|
|---|---|
Hayrikyan in 2016
|
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 July 1949 Nubarashen, Yerevan, Armenian SSR, Soviet Union |
| Political party | National United Party (1966–1987) Union for National Self-Determination (1987–) |
| Occupation | Politician, composer |
Paruyr Arshaviri Hayrikyan (born July 5, 1949) is an Armenian politician and a former Soviet dissident. A dissident is someone who speaks out against the government. He was a key member and leader of the National United Party (NUP). This group wanted Armenia to become independent from the Soviet Union.
Hayrikyan spent about 18 years in Soviet prisons because of his actions against the government. He was even sent out of the Soviet Union in 1988. But he was allowed to come back two years later. Since Armenia became independent in 1991, Hayrikyan has been active in politics. He leads the Union for National Self-Determination, which followed the NUP. He ran for president in 1991 and 2013. During the 2013 election, someone tried to hurt him, but he survived. He is also a writer and a talented composer. He has written many popular Armenian patriotic songs.
Contents
Paruyr Hayrikyan's Early Life
Paruyr Hayrikyan was born in 1949 in Nubarashen, a town near Yerevan. His father, Arshavir, moved to Soviet Armenia from Istanbul in 1946. His mother, Zaruhi, was born in Krasnodar. Her family was originally from Van.
While still in high school, Hayrikyan started a group called the Union of Armenian Youth. In 1966, he began studying at Yerevan Polytechnic Institute. He took night classes and worked as an electrician.
Joining the National United Party
In 1967, Hayrikyan joined the secret National United Party (NUP) in Armenia. As a member, he created a new youth group called Shant (meaning "Lightning"). In 1968, the founders of the NUP were arrested by the KGB. The KGB was the Soviet secret police. After this, Hayrikyan became the leader of the NUP. He set up more NUP groups and printed 5,000 copies of the party newspaper, Erkounk ("Torments").
Arrests and Imprisonment
On March 29, 1969, the KGB arrested Hayrikyan. He was sentenced to four years in prison. He served his time in a special camp for political prisoners in Mordovia.
Hayrikyan returned to Armenia in 1973. But he was arrested again in February 1974. This time, he was sentenced to seven years in prison and three years of exile. In 1977, he went on a hunger strike in prison. He demanded that all NUP members be released and that the party be made legal. He also asked for a vote for Armenia's independence. This led to new charges against him.
In 1984, Hayrikyan was sent to Ust-Kut in Irkutsk Oblast. He stayed there until 1987. He spent about 18 years in Soviet prisons in total. More than 300 days of this time were spent alone in solitary confinement.
Return to Armenia and New Party
In late 1987, Hayrikyan came back to Yerevan. He started the Union for National Self-Determination. This party took over from the NUP. Its main goal was for Armenia to become independent from the Soviet Union. They wanted to achieve this through a national vote.
In 1988, Hayrikyan lost his Soviet citizenship. He was sent to Ethiopia. This happened after he said that Soviet leaders caused the Sumgait pogroms. These were violent attacks on Armenians in Azerbaijan. In Addis Ababa, Hayrikyan asked for protection from the United States. He was given asylum and stayed in the US for some time.
During this time, Paruyr Hayrikyan became very well known. He was chosen to lead a group called the International Coordinating Center of the National Democratic Movement of the USSR. On May 20, 1990, while still in the USA, he was elected to the Armenian Supreme Council. This was a top governing body.
In 1990, US senators, led by Bob Dole, put pressure on Mikhail Gorbachev. Because of this, Hayrikyan got his citizenship back and was allowed to return.
Active in Armenian Politics
Since his return, Hayrikyan has been very involved in Armenian politics. He ran for president in the 1991 Armenian presidential election. He came in second with 7% of the votes. His supporters said there were problems during the campaign. They claimed he and his supporters were attacked in the village of Paravakar. An Armenian court later found these claims to be true.
From 1992, Hayrikyan was in charge of Goris. He worked to protect the area and help refugees in the Syunik and Artsakh regions. In 1995, he was re-elected to the Armenian Parliament. He led the UNSD group there. In the late 1990s, Hayrikyan advised the President of Armenia. From 1998 to 2003, he worked as an ombudsman for Armenia. An ombudsman helps people with their rights and handles complaints against the government.
2013 Presidential Election and Attack
On January 31, 2013, Hayrikyan was shot and wounded. This happened during his campaign for president in the 2013 Armenian presidential election. Another candidate, Vardan Sedrakyan, planned the attack. Two of Sedrakyan's helpers carried it out. Sedrakyan was later sent to prison for 14 years for planning the attack on Hayrikyan. Hayrikyan came in fourth place in the election.
In June–July 2015, Hayrikyan took part in protests against higher electricity prices. However, when he appeared with a European Union flag, some people in the crowd booed him.
Author and Composer
Hayrikyan wrote a book about his life called On a Quest of the Light in 2001. In this book, he shares his experiences as a freedom fighter. He tells his story through a letter to a person he loved in his youth. He lost touch with this person during his 18 years in prison and exile. The book also talks about people who disagreed with the government in other Soviet countries. In 2015, the book was translated into English and published in the United States.
Political Goals and Actions
The National United Party was started on April 24, 1966. Its founders were Haykaz Khachatryan, Stephan Zatikyan, and Shahen Harutyunyan. When the founders were put in prison in 1968, Hayrikyan became the leader of the NUP.
The NUP had two main goals:
- Armenia becoming independent from Soviet Russia.
- Fixing the problems caused by the Armenian Genocide (1915–1923).
In 1973, the National United Party re-elected Hayrikyan as its president. That same year, Hayrikyan wrote an important paper called "The Road to Independence through Referendum Strategy." This paper explained how Armenia could become independent through a public vote.
On February 12, 1974, he was arrested again. During his trial, Hayrikyan strongly supported independence and human rights. Many people, not just Armenians, supported the NUP. Famous Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov even signed a letter supporting Hayrikyan in 1974.
Union for National Self-Determination
Paruyr Hayrikyan started the Union for National Self-Determination (UNSD) in September 1987. The UNSD was the first open democratic group in the Soviet Union. The UNSD began publishing a weekly newspaper called "Independence" on October 24, 1987. This was the first alternative political newspaper in the Soviet Union.
Personal Life
Hayrikyan can speak Armenian, Russian, English, and Latvian. He also knows some French, Ukrainian, and Lithuanian. He was married to Yelena Sirotenko. They have three children and three grandchildren.
Books
- On a Quest of the Light, by Paruyr Hayrikyan, US, Xlibris, 2015, 192 p. ISBN: 978-1-5144-1787-4
- The formula of democraticity and complete democracy or necessary features of a democratic parliamentary system, by Paruyr Hayrikyan, Yerevan : UNSD publishing house, 2007, 16 p.
- Depi batsʻardzak joghovrdavarutyun, by Paruyr Hayrikyan, Yerevan, 2013, 44 p. (in Armenian)
- Luysi chanaparhin, by Paruyr Hayrikyan, Yerevan, 2004, 160 p. (in Armenian)
- Havatov ev sirov: filmashar 4 filmitsʻ, by Paruyr Hayrikyan, Yerevan, 2004 (in Armenian)
- Ankakhutʻyan chanaparhi erekʻ vaveragrer, by Paruyr Hayrikyan, Yerevan, 1997 (in Armenian)
- Ev ayspes tsʻmah, songs and poems, by Paruyr Hayrikyan, Yerevan, 1997 (in Armenian)
