Paruyr Hayrikyan
Encyclopedia
Paruyr Hayrikyan is an Armenia
n politician and former Soviet dissident.
In Soviet times, he was placed several times in penal labor camp
s for his activiies and eventually stripped of Soviet citizenship and exiled to Ethiopia
after his accusations of Soviet leadership in the instigation of Sumgait pogrom
s of Armenian population. In Addis Ababa
he applied for and was granted asylum by the United States, where he remained for some time. In 1990, following pressure of a group of United States senators led by Bob Dole
, Mikhail Gorbachev
restored Hayrikyan's citizenship and allowed him to return. Since then Hayrikyan has taken an active part in Armenian political life.
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
n politician and former Soviet dissident.
In Soviet times, he was placed several times in penal labor camp
Labor camp
A labor camp is a simplified detention facility where inmates are forced to engage in penal labor. Labor camps have many common aspects with slavery and with prisons...
s for his activiies and eventually stripped of Soviet citizenship and exiled to Ethiopia
Ethiopia
Ethiopia , officially known as the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. It is the second-most populous nation in Africa, with over 82 million inhabitants, and the tenth-largest by area, occupying 1,100,000 km2...
after his accusations of Soviet leadership in the instigation of Sumgait pogrom
Sumgait Pogrom
The Sumgait pogrom was a pogrom that targeted the Armenian population of the seaside town of Sumgait in Soviet Azerbaijan during February 1988...
s of Armenian population. In Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa
Addis Ababa is the capital city of Ethiopia...
he applied for and was granted asylum by the United States, where he remained for some time. In 1990, following pressure of a group of United States senators led by Bob Dole
Bob Dole
Robert Joseph "Bob" Dole is an American attorney and politician. Dole represented Kansas in the United States Senate from 1969 to 1996, was Gerald Ford's Vice Presidential running mate in the 1976 presidential election, and was Senate Majority Leader from 1985 to 1987 and in 1995 and 1996...
, Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
restored Hayrikyan's citizenship and allowed him to return. Since then Hayrikyan has taken an active part in Armenian political life.