Lieutenant Colonel Jirair Sefilian served in the Armed Forces of Armenia for 15 years, was awarded the First Degree Order of the Combat Cross and has since been arrested three times for his involvement in political activities.
19831998 Armed Forces of Armenia Order of the Combat Cross of the First Degree On 6 August 2007, Judge Mnatsakan Martirosyan of the Kentron and Nork-Marash Court of First Instance found Sefilian not guilty of violating Article 301 of Armenia's Criminal Code (issuing anti-constitutional statements), but found him guilty of violating the first section of Article 235 of the Criminal Code (illegal possession of a weapon) and sentenced him to 1.5 years imprisonment. Sefilian, a Karabakh war hero, and other leading members of the Founding Parliament have been released from custody in May 2015 following a prosecutor's request to change the measure of restraint applied against them to a written undertaking not to leave the area of permanent residence. On June 20, 2016, Jirair Sefilian was arrested yet again. 
