COUNCIL OF EUROPE IS NOT A PUNITIVE MACHINE: LOCAL OPPOSITIONIST

ArmInfo
2009-04-01 09:39:00

ArmInfo. The Council of Europe is not a punitive machine to send
troops to Armenia. It just highlights lack of democracy in Armenia. As
opposition representatives we do not demand anything else since the
hard assessment highlight the existence of problems in the country,
Hovhanness Igityan, a member of the Armenian Pan National Movement
(APNM), the former head of the Armenian delegation to PACE told
ArmInfo. ‘I think that the next session of PACE on April 27 will make
rather harsh assessments addressed to Armenia. I have repeatedly stated
that I do not share the expectations of the Armenian authorities. If
we are deprived of vote, it will mean that something is wrong. If we
are not deprived of vote, it will mean that we have certain diplomatic
or democratic victories. I do not study the problem from such point
of view’, he said. H. Igityan said that the April session of PACE
will again highlight that Armenia has registered certain progress
but there are still issues connected with the arrests of the people
persecuted for political views, as well as with media, rallies and
the investigation in March 1-2 incidents. PACE Monitoring Committee
met in Valencia on March 30.

The Committee discussed the amendments to Articles 225 (mass disorders)
and 300 (power usurpation) of the Armenian Criminal Code as well as the
proceedings in ‘the Case of the Seven’. Armenian parliamentarians, the
head of the Armenian delegation to PACE David Haroutiunyan, a member
of ARF Dashnaktsutyun Party faction in the Armenian Parliament Armen
Rustamyan, a member of the Heritage opposition party faction Raffi
Hovannisian and non-party parliamentarian Avet Adonts were present
at the meeting.