OPPOSITION LEADER PROTESTS PROSECUTOR’S STANCE ON ILLEGALITIES AGAINST HIS PARTY
By Astghik Bedevian
Radio Liberty, Czech Rep
Nov 15 2006
A major opposition party wants the Prosecutor-General to institute
a criminal case over what it sees as repeated illegal actions aimed
against its activities.
Together with several fellow partisans the leader of the
Zharangutyun (Heritage) party Raffi Hovannisian protested near the
Prosecutor-General’s Office on Tuesday demanding a reply to the action
the party filed more than a month ago.
"On March 4, they illegally entered our office and we were locked
out. Four days later, at midnight, they entered the office and stole
our computer network and all our internal information from databases.
We demand that a case be brought for the illegal closure of our office
and the stealing," Hovannisian said, adding that pressures are already
being put on some of the most active members of the party.
He claimed that the actions connected with the office closure and
their eviction had been directly orchestrated from the presidential
palace. "I think the truth will be revealed if there is an unbiased,
comprehensive and normal investigation," Hovannisian said.
Hovannisian says the pressure is the result of authorities’ fear that
Heritage may prove a major opponent in next year’s election.
"Today, we have to do with a crime that has grounds for impeachment.
Names are not important, what’s important is that the institution
of the president of the Republic of Armenia has allowed a chain of
illegalities that go far beyond the framework of the constitution."
Computers from the Heritage office were taken for police expertise
after the party reported the trespassing.
Zaruhi Postanjian, a Heritage lawyer, says: "The expertise found that
the computers had been tampered with, monitors of unknown types had
been connected to them and some of the information had been subjected
to modification. We think that to have these findings and not to
institute a criminal case is illegal."
The Prosecutor-General replied that a new probe should be made and
only after that will it be decided whether to institute a criminal
case or not.