PRE-ELECTION SLANDER IS BEING COLLECTED

Lragir
Feb 12 2008
Armenia

The special working group of the Office of Prosecutor General was
set up to study reports on breaches of the electoral legislation. The
office has received 41 reports, of which 20 through the media.

Charges were brought on 11 reports, 18 reports were declined, 11
reports are under investigation. On February 12 Prosecutor General
Aghvan Hovsepyan released this information, saying that on the days to
go before the election the office of prosecutor general will hold news
conferences more often to release the findings of the working group.

Aghvan Hovsepyan said it is difficult to single out the gravest
violation of the law which has been reported to the office of
prosecutor general. However, in the context of the criminal law,
the gravest crime is the use of a gun in the Fourth village.

Aghvan Hovsepyan also said that the peculiarity of the presidential
campaign is that most reports on breaches are false, and their
authors seem to think that the more lies they tell, the more people
will believe them. Aghvan Hovsepyan stated that the purpose of these
reports is to denigrate the law enforcers. However, the prosecutor
general says the law enforcers perform their duties, and before and
after the election and on the day of the voting the law enforcers
will try their best to reveal and punish wrongdoers because it is a
matter of reputation of the country. By the way, Aghvan Hovsepyan also
stated that the reports on breaches will be classified, and slander
will be separated. The prosecutor general reminded that slander is
also a crime in our country.