Climate of fear reigning in Armenia – speaker

Arminfo
12 May 06

Yerevan, 12 May: The mass departure of businessmen MPs from the
faction of the Orinats Yerkir (Law-Governed Country) Party is due to
the climate of fear reigning in Armenia, the speaker of the Armenian
National Assembly and leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party, Artur
Bagdasaryan, said at a news conference today.

“I do not blame the MPs who quit our party because they took this step
out of fear. The climate reigning in the republic frightened these
people so much that as soon as they heard about disagreements between
me and President Robert Kocharyan, they hurried to leave our party,”
Bagdasaryan said. I have shared bread and salt with the MPs who quit
the party for many years, he said.

[Passage omitted: The Orinats Yerkir Party decided to quit the ruling
coalition yesterday]