Zhirair Sefilyan: career and biography

2024 Author: Henry Conors | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-12 02:55

Zhirair Sefilyan, whose biography is described in this article, is an Armenian military man. He is the ex-commander of the Shusha Special Purpose Battalion. A well-known politician, lieutenant colonel, holder of the Order of the Combat Cross of the First Class. Member of the Karabakh war. One of the leaders of the Constituent Parliament party.

Childhood

Zhirair Sefilyan was born on 1967-10-07, in Lebanon, in Beirut. In addition to him, the family had three more children - two boys and a girl. Zhirayr's father died when he was 11 years old. The head of the family never lived to see the independence of Armenia. When the civil war began in Lebanon, Zhirayr was only 8 years old. Their house was in close proximity to the trenches. In 1990, when Zhirayr left for Armenia, the war was still going on.

Education

He began to receive his first upbringing in the family. Then I went to an Armenian school. Became a member of the party club. Then he studied at the Armenian college "Gevorg Chatalbashyan". Graduated in 1986

Youth

Zhirair Sefilyan took up arms for the first time at the age of 8. At that time, a civil war was going on in Lebanon. ActiveThe shooting started at 5-6 in the morning. Zhirayr, together with other children, collected shell casings, which they then handed over for remelting. With the money received for this, the guys bought new cartridges. They took them to the fighters, asking in return for permission to make a couple of independent shots from a rifle.

Zhirair bought his first combat pistol at the age of 16. Before Armenia, he always carried it with him. During the war, people grow up quickly. Sefilian was no exception. Already at the age of 15, he began to think about the continuity of generations, national tasks, etc. From childhood, he was brought up in the spirit of justice. During his teenage years, he underwent military training "in practice".

Military activities

In 1990, Zhirayr left for Armenia as a military instructor. Trained volunteer teams. In 1991, for the first time, he began to participate in the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. A year later, he led a detachment that operated in the most important front-line sectors.

Post-war

After the end of the war, Zhirayr Sefilyan left for Lebanon for two years. When he returned to Armenia, he was assigned to serve in the Defense Army. Held leadership positions. He was demobilized with the rank of commander of the sixth defensive region.

Political activities

Zhirayr Sefilyan, whose photo is in this article, began his political activities in Armenia in 2000. He joined a group in opposition to the country's authorities. He was the coordinator of several social movements. In 2006, he was arrested along with his colleague. They were accused of callingchange the constitutional order by force.

Zhirair was sentenced to a year and a half for illegal possession of weapons. In 2008, Sefilyan was released and immediately continued his political career in Armenia. In April 2015, Zhirayr, along with several leaders of the Constituent Parliament, was again under arrest. The group was accused of preparing for riots. Zhirayr and his associates were released from arrest only in May 2015

Recent years

He is one of the leaders of the "Century Without a Regime" and the "Constituent Parliament". Zhirayr Sefilyan, a military figure, continued his political career. Actively opposed the constitutional changes in the Republic of Armenia. In December 2015, a referendum was to be held. In front of him, Zhirayr, together with Raffi Hovhannisyan, announced the creation of the New Armenia opposition group.

More than 60 percent of voters voted in a referendum to change the current constitution. But New Armenia did not agree with their opinion, and in December 2015 a rally was held on Freedom Square.

In June 2015, Sefilyan was arrested again. According to the investigation, the politician, together with his accomplices, planned an armed seizure of the Yerevan TV tower and a number of administrative buildings. The investigative committee had evidence that Zhirayr was in contact with citizens who were involved in the transportation and storage of weapons and ammunition. And they were ready to use them on the first order.

Attempt to freeSefilian

In July 2016, representatives of the Constituent Parliament made an attempt to release Sefilyan. Armed groups of people seized a police building on the outskirts of Yerevan. According to the demands of the raiders, Zhirayr Sefilyan was to be released from detention.

As a result of the armed seizure of the building, one PPS employee was killed. It turned out to be Artur Vanoyan, a police colonel who dared to resist the raiders. On July 20, clashes between police and opposition demonstrators took place near the captured police building.

As a result, 136 people were arrested by law enforcement agencies. Many protesters received injuries of varying severity and were taken to the nearest city hospitals. Among the victims were also policemen and journalists.

Responsibility for the seizure of the police building officially assumed the organization "Founding Parliament". The attackers, who held the hostages, continued the case of Sefilyan to overthrow the current government. Zhirayr was not released at the request of the invaders.