DAVID SHAHNAZARIAN: IN 2009 RA AUTHORITIES ONCE MORE SHOWED THEIR INHUMAN FACE

Noyan Tapan
Dec 24, 2009

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 24, NOYAN TAPAN. RA recorded no achievement in 2009.

Armenian National Congress (ANC) representative David Shahnazarian
expressed such an opinion at a December 24 press conference. In his
words, political persecutions continued in the passing year, and the
authorities once more "showed their inhuman face." According to D.

Shahnazarian, evidence of it is that the prosecution party demanded
from the court to sentence opposition activist, Haykakan Zhamanak
newspaper’s editor Nikol Pashinian to eight years’ imprisonment. The
ANC representative declared that the authorities are not able to
communicate with society in any other way except cruel, repressive
methods.

Speaking about foreign policy D. Shahnazarian said that the
Armenian-Turkish negotiations finished for the whole world long
ago with the exception of the RA authorities. According to him, the
Armenian officials seem to have understood that their adventure has
led the country to a grave condition and are looking for ways out.

According to opposition figure’s observation, the Nagorno Karabakh
conflict and normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations continue to
be perceived by a common package on the international arena.

Estimating ANC’s activity D. Shahnazarian declared that in 2009 the
Congress became an institutional opposition. "Tomorrow’s authorities,
as well as opposition are currently in ANC," he mentioned. And ANC’s
biggest omission, according to D. Shahnazarian, is that there are
still 15 political prisoners. "The issue of political prisoners is
more important than the Armenian-Turkish or Nagorno Karabakh problems.

The nomenclature opposition, Dashnaktsutiun should also have
understood it," he said. According to the ANC representative,
country’s achievements and losses in foreign policy proceed from
domestic policy. While, according to D. Shahnazarian, today Armenia
has been completely formed as an authoritarian country.