FREED GEORGIAN-ARMENIAN ACTIVIST SHOWS CAUTION
By Hovannes Shoghikian

Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
Nov 2 2006

An Armenian nationalist activist from Georgia’s restive Javakheti
region was on Tuesday careful not to attack Armenia’s government for
prosecuting and keeping him under arrest for two weeks on what his
supporters see as politically motivated charges.

Vahagn Chakhalian, a leader of the United Javakhk organization
campaigning for the Armenian-populated region’s greater autonomy,
was taken to custody and later charged with illegally entering
Armenia on October 11 just hours after being assaulted by a large
group of unknown men. Chakhalian, his parents, brother and another
United Javakhk activist, were reportedly stopped and beaten up by
the assailants as they arrived in Yerevan in a car.

The violence and the ensuing arrest have been strongly condemned by
United Javakhk and 16 members of Armenia’s parliament. In a joint
October 19 statement, the mostly opposition lawmakers accused the
authorities in Yerevan of trying to please the Georgian government
which has been accused by United Javakhk of rigging local elections
held in Javakheti earlier this month.

A Yerevan court released Chakhalian from custody on Monday with
the consent of prosecutors investigating the case. Although the
controversial accusations leveled against the 24-year-old activist
have not been dropped, his lawyers hope that he will avoid trial.

Chakhalian on Thursday rejected the accusations as "slander" but
refused to comment on details of the case, saying the investigation is
not yet over. He also avoided any criticism of the Armenian government,
while indicating that the latter is failing to live up to the Javakheti
Armenians’ "expectations." "The Armenian authorities are doing what
they think is right," he told a news conference.

Official Yerevan has long been striving to get Armenian nationalist
groups in Javakheti to show restraint in demanding a status of autonomy
for the impoverished region that borders Armenia and Turkey.

One of those groups, Virk, teamed up with Georgia’s governing National
Movement Party to contest the October 5 elections.

Official results of the vote, which showed the party sweeping to a
landslide victory in Javakheti and Georgia as a whole, were rejected
as fraudulent by United Javakhk. The latter rallied hundreds of
supporters in the regional town of Akhalkalaki. The demonstration
turned violent, with the protesters seizing the local government
building before being dispersed by police.