 evening in memory of vigen babayan on saturday march 5 2011 policy forum armenia held an evening honoring the memory of a prominent sovietera dissident a member of the 7 patriots vigen babayan the event s featured guests were  azat gasparyan  renown actor and narrator evening s moderator  paruyr hayrikyan  prominent sovietera dissident and the leader of the national selfdetermination union aim  shahen harutyunyan  a founder of the sovietera underground united national party amk jailed in early1960s for underground activities aimed at proclaiming independent armenia and recognizing the genocide the 7 patriots as the group became known in armenia following their trial and imprisonment laid the foundations for independence and prodemocracy movement in armenia and elsewhere in the ussr years spent in siberian gulags and countless kgb interrogations could not break vigen babayan s iron will and lessen his commitment to what he stood for the volumes of poetry that he left behind are live testaments of his sufferings but also of limitless love for his motherland and freedom to the young generation of armenians who fought for country s independence and for the freedom of artsakh vigen babayan is known as the voice behind the voice of america armenian service reporting during the late1980s and early1990s celebrating the legacy of vigen babayan and others who put their lives on the line for free and independent armenia at times when there seemed no hope on the horizon is of particular importance now given the events unfolding in armenia this epic story is as much about the past as it is about today and tomorrow the event was held at the cosmos club in washington dc and was cosponsored by members of the washington s armenian community pictures from the event are available from the  photo gallery   