ACCORDING TO RAZMIK ZOHRABIAN, SERZH SARGSYAN’S RATING HAS RISEN COMPARED WITH POST-ELECTORAL PERIOD

Noyan Tapan

Feb 9, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 9, NOYAN TAPAN. The necessity of a bill on holding
a trial without a defendant is due to the circumstance that the
defendants on the "case of the seven" periodically hinder the trial
and do not permit it to continue. Razmik Zohrabian, the Vice-Chairman
of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), stated at the February 9
press conference. In response to journalists’ observation that the RA
Minister of Justice denied any connection between the above mentioned
bill and the "case of the seven" the RPA figure explained that there
were precedents of hindering a trial in the past, and this case is
one of them.

R. Zohrabian reminded that in the years of the USSR he was a political
prisoner and protested against the unfairness of that time through a
hunger strike. In response to the question of what criteria indicate
whether a person is a political prisoner or not, he said that a
political prisoner is a person persecuted for his political views. And
in response to the question of whether the opposition activists are
political prisoners, R. Zohrabian said: "Those people were arrested
for political reasons, that is, in consequence of organization and
holding of rallies."

Touching upon RA President Serzh Sargsyan’s rating, the RPA
Vice-Chairman mentioned that "proceeding from the concessions made
by the President," amnesties granted to dozens of arrested people,
readiness to amend Articles 225 and 300, Criminal Code, we can expect
his authority to rise among the public. According to R. Zohrabian,
at present S. Sargsyan’s rating has increased as compared with the
2008 post-electoral period.

Speaking about the rally scheduled for March 1, the RPA figure said
that in general it is difficult to make a prediction on mass actions
"as even science fails to explain crowd’s psychology." "However,
I am for weakening of tension, as well as for amnesty," R. Zohrabian
said adding that the imprisoned oppositionists "are not this country’s
permanent enemies."

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress