Political prisoners unacceptable for CE member state – European official
Arminfo
4 Jul 07
Yerevan, 4 July: If a Council of Europe member state fulfils its
commitments, then a phenomenon, like political prisoners, is something
unacceptable for a Council of Europe member state, Rene van der Linden,
the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly [PACE] president, told a
news conference in Yerevan today [4 July] when commenting on a question
about the arrest of former Armenian Foreign Minister Aleksandr
Arzumanyan.
Without getting into "various" trials, Linden pointed to the importance
of having this issue discussed by the Council of Europe [CE]. The
rapporteur on Armenia should take this issue into serious
consideration. "If this specific case is a political arrest, then it is
unacceptable," he said.
Armenian Parliament Speaker Tigran Torosyan said, in turn, that the
report on Armenia was approved by the PACE winter session in January
and that it notes significant progress in Armenia’s fulfilment of its
commitments to the Council of Europe and further European integration.
"As for political arrests, it is absolutely unacceptable for any CE
member country. However, in this particular case, opinions of some
people cannot serve as grounds for a conclusion that it is a political
arrest. Fortunately, no political prisoners have ever existed in
Armenia, and this is a fact. No matter who the suspect is – a former
minister or a Karabakh war veteran – his activities should be assessed
after a trial. Charges have been pressed against the above mentioned
individuals and only the investigation can show whether those charges
ware fair or not," he said. He said it is necessary to demand reliable
assessment from law enforcement agencies.