YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 12, NOYAN TAPAN. Sima Taskalian, the mother of Lieutenant-Colonel Zhirayr Sefilian, the Coordinator of the In Defence of Liberated Territories public initiative, former Commander of the Shoushi special battalion, passed away in Beirut, at the age of 71. As Noyan Tapan correspondent was informed by the office of the organization In Defence of Liberated Territories, S. Taskalian was seriously ill lately. It should be mentioned that Z. Sefilian, as well as another participant of Karabakh war, V. Malkhasian, a member of the Homeland and Honor party's Political Board, were arrested on December 10, 2006. The Investigation Department of the National Security Service instituted a criminal case against them, on the signs of Article 301, RA Criminal Code (public appeals for overthrowing the RA constitutional system by force) and point 1, Article 235, RA Criminal Code (illegal keeping of arms). Later, as a result of the judicial procedure, the accusation brought to Z. Sefilian by Article 301 was withdrawn. According to the sentence of the first instance court of Kentron - Nork-Marash communities of Yerevan passed in July of the current year, Z. Sefilian was sentenced to imprisonment of a year and a half and V. Malkhasian to imprisonment of two years.

---