"HERITAGE" PARTY ALLPIES TO COURT WITH REQUEST TO INVALIDATE DECREE ON DECLARATION OF STATE OF EMERGENCY

Noyan Tapan
March 14, 2008

YEREVAN, MARCH 14, NOYAN TAPAN. The "Zharangutyun" ("Heritage") party
on March 14 applied to the RA Administrative Court with the request
to recognize as invalid the RA presidential decree on declaration of
a state of emergency of March 1, 2008.

According to a press release of the party, "Heritage" finds that
among other restrictions, the suspension of activities of democratic
institutions, in particular, the narrowing of the subject limits of
the mass media contradicts the requirements of the Armenian legislation
and the European Convention on Human Rights. "As a result of all this,
the work of the independent and opposition newspapers and websites
has been frozen, which represents a gross violation of citizens’
rights to receive impartial and comprehensive information," is stated
in the lawsuit of the party.

In its lawsuit filed to the court, "Heritage" requests to invalidate
the above mentioned decree, which, according to the party, is outside
the law and is not in line with the current situation. The plaintiff
petitions the court to use a measure to ensure the lawsuit’s execution:
to ban imposition of new restrictions on constitutional rights by
the Armenian president and to conduct an accelerated court examination.