MEMBERS OF "LEGITIMATE PRESIDENT 2008" MOVEMENT EXPRESS CONCERN OVER ACTIONS OF ULNP AND POLICE

Noyan Tapan
Jan 21, 2008

YEREVAN, JANUARY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Dissidence is punishable in Armenia,
the citizens who express their disagreement with the position of
the authorities are subjected to persecution and terror, Gurgen
Yeghiazarian, former deputy of the RA National Assembly, former
deputy head of the National Security Service, made this statement at
the January 21 sitting of the public-political movement "Legitimate
President 2008".

"Terror has moved from streets into apartments of citizens,"
this is how G. Yeghiazarian described the situation when citizens
are called for a testimony or a talk at a police station after
they express their disagreement with the authorities’ position or
refuse to listen to propaganda in favor of Serge Sargsian. Among such
citizens was the political correspondent of "Noyan Tapan" news agency
Davit Petrosian who refused to listen to two young propagandists from
"United Liberal-National Party (ULNP) who came to his house on January
12. The next day he was called to police – based on the complaint of
a young woman whom he allegedly had hit.

"If you decline to listen to advertising for Serge Sargsian, you
will find yourself in the police based on some absurd accusation,"
G. Yeghiazarian said.

He called attention to the fact that the young men from the OLNP wear
expensive jackets with the party’s logo and all of them are exempt
from examinations and tests.

The chairman of the ecological party Armen Dovlatian announced,
referring to some "well-informed sources" that 300 students have
been involved in this propaganda campaign, and each of them will
receive a salary of 100 thousand drams (about 330 dollars, with the
average monthly salary making about 76 thousand drams in Armenia),
while all these expenses are included in the financial expenditures
of the presidential candidate Serge Sargsian.

People’s Artist of Armenia, member of the Council of Aldermen of the
Forum of Intelligentsia Yervand Manarian expressed concern over the
involvement of young people in the vicious process and called on the
society to condemn the actions of both the leadership of this party
and the young propagandists.