BETTER BAN RALLIES THAN LET PEOPLE GET KILLED: ARMENIAN POLITICIAN

Regnum
March 24 2008
Russia

"It is better to ban rallies than let people get killed," Armenian MP
(ruling Republican Party) Rafik Petrosyan stated at a press conference
in Yerevan on March 24. In his words, if Armenian parliament did
not approve amendments to the law on rallies, processions, and
demonstrations, the turmoil in the country would persist.

Commenting on the legislation provision according to which all rallies
will be prohibited until all participants and facts of preceding
riots are established, Rafik Petrosyan argued that the restrictive
norm would be in effect for no longer than three months.

Mr Petrosyan also noted that, even before the amendments to the
legislation draft were approved, the draft "was signed under by
representatives of the former opposition" (The Orinats Yerkir Party
– REGNUM).

Petrosyan’s opponent, MP from the Heritage opposition faction
Larisa Alaverdyan stated that the amended law contradicted to all
international norms defining human rights and freedoms. Alaverdyan
claimed that, instead of looking for the ways of establishing
dialog during the 20 days of the state of emergency in Yerevan,
the authorities used the time to develop the legislation draft.

According to Alaverdyan, the legislation is of a contextual character
and is not aimed at solving key issues. She claims that the amendments
were adopted by Armenian parliament with violation of rules of
procedure, for the deputies read the draft no earlier than the day
of the extraordinary session.

To remind, on March 18, acting president of Armenia Robert Kocharyan
signed a bill amending the law "On Holding Gatherings, Rallies,
Processions, and Demonstrations."

The amendments provide that a responsible agency can reject an
applicant to hold a rally if the agency has obtained reliable
information about the planned event’s being targeted at overthrowing a
constitutional order, inciting racial, ethnic, or religious hatred,
propagating violence and war, or threatening national security,
public order, morality and health of the people.

According to another amendment, official conclusions of the police
and National Security Service can be regarded as such reliable data.

Amendments also stipulate that in cases when public actions have
transformed into civil disorders, leading to death of people, a
responsible agency, in order to halt the crimes and prevent their
happening again, has a right to temporarily ban organization of mass
public events until all facts and persons who have committed crimes
are established.

According to the amendments, a responsible agency is supposed to
examine an application for an event to be held for 72 hours, and
applications for holding a public event are to be submitted five days
before the event date.