Armenian MPs voice support for arrested Georgian Armenian activist

Regnum, Russia
20 Oct 2006

Armenian members of parliament have released a statement in support
of one of the leaders of the United Javakhk Democratic Alliance,
Vaagn Chakhalyan, which says, in part:

"Armenian members of parliament express their concern and deep
anger over Armenia’s position in relation to the United Javakhk
organization. It is common knowledge that this alliance, which
consists mainly of young people, adheres to the position of national
ideas, protection of the native language, of Armenian spiritual and
cultural values, the protection of rights and a solution to other
major problems of the Armenians of Javakhk (the Armenian-populated
region of Georgia). It is no accident that on 10 October in Yerevan,
over a short period of time, Vaagn Chakhalyan, the activist Gurgen
Shirinyan and others were subjected to an organized attack, as a
result of which they sustained injuries to their body and were sent
to hospital. Gurgen Shirinyan’s life was saved thanks to an operation.

Instead of trying to solve a crime committed against national
figures, the Armenian law-enforcement bodies decided to punish the
victims by "legal" methods, as a result of which the injured Vaagn
Chakhalyan was arrested a few hours after the incident by members of
the Armenian National Security Service, and two days later was taken
into custody on a ridiculous charge of ‘illegally crossing the Armenian
border’. Consequently, there is clearly a direct shameful link between
the attack on national figures and Vaagn Chakhalyan’s arrest. In
condemning this incident, we demand that the law-enforcement agencies
(i) expose those responsible for the crime against the activists of
United Javakhk and institute proceedings against them in accordance
with the law and (ii) immediately release Vaagn Chakhalyan or at
least change his form of preventive punishment of arrest."

The statement was signed by Amayak Ovannisyan, Vazgen Manukyan
(leader of the National Democratic Union), Stepan Demirchyan (leader
of the Armenian People’s Party), Aram Sarkisyan (leader of the
Republic Party), Arshak Sadoyan, Viktor Dallakyan, Edmon Tsaturyan,
Manuk Gasparyan, Armen Ashotyan (member of the Republican Party of
Armenia), Grigor Arutyunyan, Tatul Manaseryan, Stepan Zakaryan and
Rafik Petrosyan.

In the evening of 10 October, at about 2200 Moscow time, the vehicle
belonging to the leader of the United Javakhk Democratic Alliance,
Vaagn Chakhalyan, was stopped by unknown persons as it entered
Yerevan. In the vehicle were members of Chakhalyan’s family and his
friend Gurgen Shirinyan. Vaagn Chakhalyan was dragged out of the car
and beaten up and Gurgen Shirinyan sustained knife wounds as a result
of the attack.

It will be recalled that at local self-administration elections in
Georgia on 5 October, representatives of the United Javakhk movement
cast their votes in a municipal sakrebulo [assembly] based on the
proportional lists of the Industry Will Save Georgia Party. For
four days the Akhalkalaki constituency electoral commission No 40
failed to make public preliminary information regarding the election
results. Despite the fact that a deadline of five days had been decided
for releasing this information (up to and including 10 October),
on 9 October supporters of the movement occupied the building of the
constitutional commission (the prefecture of Akhalkalaki District is
located there), and later took it by storm.

As a result, supporters of the ruling United National Movement used
fire arms, and some activists were beaten up and sent to various
hospitals. The incident in the evening of 10 October, as a result
of which Gurgen Shirinyan was sent to a Yerevan hospital with knife
wounds, is also being linked with the storming of the building of
the Akhalkalaki prefecture in which the electoral commission sat.