VERDICT BY ADMINISTRATIVE COURT ON CLAIM BY DIPLOMATS DISMISSED FROM ARMENIAN FOREIGN MINISTRY TO BE MADE PUBLIC ON MAY 29

arminfo
2008-05-14 16:34:00

ArmInfo. Wednesday on May 14 the Administrative Court of Armenia
studied the claim by 4 diplomats dismissed from the Foreign Ministry
of Armenia. Judge Hovsep Bedevyan chaired over the sitting .

To recall, the claimants, the former press secretary of the Armenian
FM Vladimir Karapetyan, the former head of the Department for America
and Canada Karine Afrikyan, the former head of the Department for
NATO Marta Ayvazyan and the former adviser of the Department for
Europe Arakel Semirjyan were dismissed in February 2008. A group of
Ambassadors, including the deputy foreign minister Armen Bayburdyan,
on February 23 made speeches during the opposition rallies in the
Liberty Square on 23 February. The next day a group of diplomats and
employees of the Foreign Ministry made another statements. Both the
statements were perceived as political and all those who signed the
statements were dismissed. However, a group of diplomats believes
that they were dismissed illegally and intend to apply to the court
for restoration of their positions and compensation of average salary
for the period of their idleness.

The sitting started with a petition by the respondent, the Foreign
Ministry of Armenia represented by Head of the Juridical Department
Satik Abgaryan and Adviser of the Foreign Ministry Staff Secretariat
Levon Amirjanyan.

Respondent Abgaryan insisted on interrogation of the opposite part
as witnesses. The judge did not consider the petition necessary and
rejected it.

Representative of the claimants, lawyer Levon Baghdasaryan said the
provision of the Law ‘On Diplomatic Services’ on the basis of which
his clients were dismissed bans any actions within the interests of a
political party or religious organization. ‘There was nothing similar
in the actions of my clients. They just expressed their opinion on
the situation in the country and election rigging. It is evident
that there were violations during the election process. Since both
the opposition and international organizations indicated at them. My
clients did not speak and did not want to speak of the influence of
these violations on the voting result’, Levon Baghdasaryan said. He
also added that the statement was civil not political.

In response, Vladimir Karapetyan said that though civil that
statement reflected the stance of the country’s leadership, and
particularly, the stance of the Foreign Ministry, in that period
of time. Not appealing against the statement that diplomats joined
the statement by Ambassadors, the claimant mentioned that there
were also other statements, including by Foreign Minister Vardan
Oskanyan who expressed concern about possible developments yet in
January 2008 and called on everyone to refrain from application of
force. The question by the respondent if V. Karapetyan sent in his
resignation before his dismissal, was left without an answer. After
mutual accusations of neglecting questions and of making declarative
statements, the respondent demanded the party of plaintiff to mention
specific violations of the election process and asked why they did
not make relevant statements during the previous elections if they
were so concerned about their civil duty.

As a reply the plaintiff party recalled that there has never occurred
such a political situation in the country. Incidentally, it has
become clear that the answering party submitted mutilate text of
the ambassadors’ statement to the court and the latter took it into
consideration. Abgaryan asked the judge how he is going to clarify
originality of any paper. Representative of the respondent party Levon
Amirjanyan said the statement was made very diplomatically without
mentioning specific names but one should take the ‘context’ into
account. Asked what party won because of such a statement, Abgaryan
replied the opposition won or could win. The plaintiff party recalled
that earlier Deputy foreign minister Gegam Garibjanyan had given an
interview of the political nature, and the former consul of Armenia in
St.Petersbourg Rouben Hakopyan was openly taking part in campaigning,
but as Vardan Oskanyan said he was dismissed ‘because rotation’.

Today the court studied the written proofs of the case and went to
the consulting room to make a decision. Verdict will be published on
29 May.