Pashinyan: Berdzor incident is a threat to NKR’s international reputation
Wednesday,
February 25
The incident that took place in Berdzor on January 31 was a severe
blow to Artsakh’s statehood, the deputy of Armenian National Congress
(HAK) faction Nikol Pashinyan said in the Armenian parliament today.
In his words, the incident called into question the legitimacy of
the Armenian parliamentary delegations’ statements in international
organizations that there is democracy and rule of law in the Nagorno
Karabakh Republic (NKR).
‘That incident endangered all our achievements since the start of the
Karabakh movement. On February 6 of this year a delegation of the
Armenian parliament went to Stepanakert to discuss the elimination
of the Berdzor incident consequences. My position was and remains the
same – those who used violence should be held criminally liable under
the law of NKR. Besides, high-ranking officials of law-enforcement
bodies should resign,” Pashinyan said.
He stressed that this position seems to have been perceived by the
authorities of NKR, but strangely, no criminal case was opened,
although 24 days have passed since the incident.
N. Pashinyan said that he would like to remind everyone that those
who used violence against the participants of a peaceful procession
of cars should be held criminally liable, while those guilty of
negligence should be dismissed.
“It is not someone’s whim, but requirements of morality and NKR’s
legislation. The authorities of Artsakh should realize that it is the
only way to overcome the incident’s consequences. Unless we follow
that path, the incident will become a problem and pose a threat to
the international reputation of the NKR,” Nikol Pashinyan said.
As was reported, on January 31 Pre-parliament civil initiative was
going to stage yet another protest against the current authorities
by organizing a ‘procession of cars’ in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
Yet information appeared soon about “a clash between protest
participants and law enforcers of Artsakh”. Pre-parliament issued a
statement saying that on January 31 “some unknown people in police
cars” hindered actions of protesters not far from Berdzor. They used
violence against protesters, inflicted injuries on them, broke their
cameras and damaged cars.