Since the early 1960s the Soviet regime had to confront pockets of dissident thinking . The monopoly of the Communist party was questioned by people who thought in terms of freedom of thought and speech . Painter Haykaz Khachatryan ( 1920-1989 ) and a group of Armenians made a demonstration on April 24 , 1965 near the tomb of Gomidas Vartabed in Yerevan . They were arrested , but released a few days later due to lack of evidence . The National United Party ( NUP ) was founded on April 24 , 1966 , by painter Haykaz Khachatryan , Stepan Zatikyan and Shahen Harutyunyan . The party issued and distributed the first issue of its clandestine periodical '' Paros '' ( Phare ) in October 1967 . When the founders were imprisoned in 1968 , Paruyr Hayrikyan became head of the party . The main goals of the NUP were the independence of Soviet Armenia , the establishment of democracy , and the elimination of the consequences of the Armenian Genocide ( 1915-1923 ) . All members should closely follow the program of the party , entitled " For the Nation and the Homeland . " Any person aged sixteen , who accepted the program , could become a party member . In 1973 the National United Party re-elected Hayrikyan as its president . Hayrikyan wrote his political program , " The Road to Independence through Referendum Strategy , " in the same year . After he was arrested in 1974 , he continued clandestinely to lead the organization . On his return to Armenia in August 1987 , Hayrikyan founded a successor party to the NUP , the Union for National Self-Determination
Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
National United Party (Armenia)