THE RESOLUTE FIGHTER AND GREAT DEVOTEE OF THE NATIONAL CAUSE

Armenia’s independence and the victory of the Artsakh war were made in the furnace of the national liberation struggle, where hundreds of devotees fought and hardened the vision of a free Armenia with the fire of their own souls. They were ready to redeem Armenia’s independence with their own lives.

… Artashes Parsadanyan did not take part in the Artsakh war; he died in 1989 while performing a special task. The conversation with Artashes Parsadanyan’s wife, Mrs. Karine, will outline a beautiful story: a portrait of a brave man who sacrificed his life for the salvation of the homeland.

Q: Mrs. Karine, I have not seen Artashes Parsadanyan, but it seems that I know him because friends, relatives and acquaintances have told me about him with so much love and presented his image so vividly.

A: I remember how I saw Artashes for the first time. My father and Artashes’ uncle were friends. One day my family and I came home. A tall, athletic, blond boy came in. With proportionate features, which was the most impressive – some pronounced masculine strength on the face. He did not take part in the conversation that day, he almost did not speak.

Artashes’ father and mother were teachers of Armenian language and literature. The father was the school principal for many years. At home, they hardly talked about everyday topics, discussed this or that writer, analyzed human relations. Artashes’ parents were very bright, developed, educated, but uncompromising and principled. Artashes inherited those traits.

Q: How did Artashes end up in the vortex of the liberation struggle?

A: Before answering that question, let me tell you a story. Artashes and his classmate had to take an exam for a gold medal. One of the two was to win a gold medal. Meanwhile, the girl’s father dies, and Artashes, who excelled at school, refuses to take the exam in favor of his classmate. This story was told to me by the same classmate who was already a doctor and remembered this story with excitement. She said that if Artashes had participated in the competition, she would not have had a chance to win.

Artashes faced serious problems at work because of his active participation in the protests. He then quit his job because he decided to go to Meghri, where there were many refugees from Azerbaijan and they needed help, and Artashes was always there to help people in need. I lived in Meghri for some time with Artashes and my children. We lived in a dilapidated house, where living conditions were unbearable; we lacked the most basic amenities. Artashes was busy day and night taking care of the refugees. He also formed a detachment, the boys of which performed special tasks. For example, Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan were escorted to Armenia to avoid dangers.

Q: Were they armed?

A: They were armed with homemade weapons. My daughter was three years old at the time, and my son was one. And the children couldn’t stand the bad conditions and got sick. I had to return to Gyumri with my parents. Shortly afterwards, the tragedy happened.

… Rumors are circulating that the train loaded with weapons from Azerbaijan should move to Nakhichevan. The boys are instructed to blow up the train and place a mine on the road.

But at the last minute, they learned that the train had passengers in it. Artashes tried to remove the mine quickly. The mine exploded, killing the patriot. It was August 15, 1989. The Soviet newspapers called Artashes a criminal and a terrorist. We went through hell …

By GAYANE POGHOSYAN