THOSE IN POWER IN ARMENIA LACK KNOWLEDGE ABOUT GOPVERNMENT SYSTEM, HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER VARDAN HARUTYUNIAN SAYS

Noyan Tapan

Nov 7, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 7, NOYAN TAPAN. "In the Republic of Armenia, human
rights are violated constantly and everywhere," Karapet Rubinian,
a member of the Committee for Protection of Political Prisoners and
Persecuted Persons, said during a discussion at the National Press Club
on November 7. In his words, the most absurd violation was the mass
violence in connection with the rigged presidential election, and this
violence reached its culmination on March 1. Another obvious violation
is the problem of "victims of state needs" when people are evicted from
their houses for the reason of state needs. "There is mass violation of
human rights under the name of implementing state business programs,
whereas in reality an oligarch wants to construct an elite building
on the site of the apartments taken away from citizens," he said.

K. Rubinian expressed an opinion that one of the gravest violations
is that people are imprisoned or subjected to tax pressure because
of their political views.

Vardan Harutyunian, a human rights defender, in his turn noted that
Shant Harutyunian who was arrested under the March 1 case is not
only a political prisoner but also a prisoner of conscience because
he was sent to prison for making a public speech. In his opinion,
the reason for human rights violation in the country is that those
in power have no idea about power, law and a state. "They would be
good turners or drivers, but they lack knowledge about the government
system," V. Harutyunian stated.

It is noteworthy that although some representatives of the authorities
had been invited beforehand, they were not present at the discussion.