Friday, July 27, 2018

Armenian Head Of Russian-Led Alliance Also Prosecuted Over 2008 Unrest
July 27, 2018

Armenia - Retired General Yuri Khachaturov arrives at the Special Investigative 
Service headquarters in Yerevan, 26 July 2018.

Armenia’s former top army general currently heading the Russian-led Collective 
Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) has also been charged in a renewed criminal 
investigation into the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan.

The Special Investigative Service (SIS) formally accused Yuri Khachaturov of 
involvement in an “overthrow of the constitutional order” after interrogating 
him on Thursday. In a statement released on Friday, the SIS said it has also 
asked a court in Yerevan to allow Khachaturov’s pre-trial detention.

The SIS also levelled the same accusation against former President Robert 
Kocharian. The latter ordered the violent dispersal on March 1-2, 2008 of 
nonstop opposition protests staged in the wake of a disputed presidential 
election.

The crackdown, which left eight protesters and two police servicemen dead, came 
just over a month before Kocharian served out his second and final term in 
office. Kocharian denied the charges as politically motivated later on Thursday.

Early this month, the SIS issued an arrest warrant for retired General Mikael 
Harutiunian, who was Armenia’s defense minister during the 2008 unrest. It 
alleged that Harutiunian had illegally used the armed forces against the 
protesters, saying that amounted to a coup d’etat.

Khachaturov was a deputy defense minister in March 2008. The newly elected 
President Serzh Sarkisian appointed him as chief of the army’s General Staff in 
April 2008.

Khachaturov, 65, briefly spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) 
before being questioned by SIS investigators. He said he does not expect to be 
prosecuted for the 2008 crackdown.

The retired general served as the Armenian army’s chief of staff from 
2008-2016. Russia, Armenia and four other ex-Soviet states making up the CSTO 
appointed him as secretary general of the Russian-led defense pact in April 
2017.

The CSTO and its non-Armenian member states did not immediately react to the 
criminal proceedings launched against Khachaturov. The TASS news agency quoted 
a spokesman for the CSTO Secretariat in Moscow as saying that it has not yet 
received official information about them.


Armenia - A man walks past burned cars on a street in Yerevan where security 
forces clashed with opposition protesters, 2 March 2008.

The SIS bases its accusations on a secret order which Defense Minister 
Harutiunian issued to the Armenian military during the post-election 
demonstrations organized by Levon Ter-Petrosian, the main opposition candidate 
in the 2008 ballot. It says that military units began moving into Yerevan 
before Kocharian declared a state of emergency late on March 1, 2008. According 
to the law-enforcement agency, that violated constitutional provisions 
guaranteeing the political neutrality of the Armenian armed forces.

In televised remarks aired late on Thursday, Kocharian insisted that the army 
was simply put on high alert in order to prevent some of its soldiers and 
officers from heeding Ter-Petrosian’s repeated calls for the military to join 
his opposition movement. The ex-president also argued that army units were not 
involved in vicious clashes between security forces and protesters which were 
followed by the introduction of emergency rule.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, who played a key role in the Ter-Petrosian-led 
movement, was the main speaker at a March 1, 2008 rally that took place several 
hundred meters from the scene of the deadly violence. Pashinian subsequently 
spent nearly two years in prison for organizing “mass disturbances” in the 
Armenian capital. He denied the accusations as politically motivated.

Pashinian appointed a new head of the SIS shortly he swept to power in May in a 
wave of mass protests against Serzh Sarkisian’s continued rule. He told the SIS 
to reinvigorate its long-running criminal investigation into the unrest and 
punish those responsible for the ten deaths.


Republicans, Dashnaks Slam Charges Against Kocharian
July 27, 2018

Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian (R) and his predecessor Robert Kocharian at 
an official ceremony near Yerevan, 03Dec2008.

The former ruling Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) on Friday condemned as 
politically motivated coup charges brought against former President Robert 
Kocharian.

Another major party, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), 
which is represented in the country’s current government, similarly expressed 
serious concern over Kocharian’s prosecution stemming from the 2008 
poste-election violence in Yerevan.

“The accusation leaves the impression of purely political persecution and is 
ludicrous from the legal standpoint,” the HHK said in a statement.

“We consider the existing situation to be a threat to Armenia’s democratic 
development and a blow to efforts to build a full-fledged rule-of-law state,” 
added the party headed by Serzh Sarkisian, who succeeded Kocharian as president 
in April 2008.

The handover of power from Kocharian to Sarkisian followed a disputed 
presidential election marred by opposition allegations of serious fraud. Levon 
Ter-Petrosian, another ex-president and the main opposition candidate in the 
February 2008 election, staged daily demonstrations at the time to demand a 
rerun of the ballot.

Security forces broke up those protests on March 1-2, 2008. Eight protesters 
and two police personnel died as a result. Kocharian was charged in connection 
with the deadly violence on Thursday.

Dashnaktsutyun’s governing body in Armenia described the accusations levelled 
against Kocharian as “extremely concerning.” It said that “they can be 
interpreted as political persecution.”

In a statement, the Dashnaktsutyun leadership also warned that the case could 
undermine “national unity” and “faith in the Armenian army.” It cited a 
prominent role played by Kocharian in the 1991-1994 war in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Dashnaktsutyun, which is particularly influential in the worldwide Armenian 
Diaspora, was allied to Kocharian throughout his 1998-2008 rule. It also struck 
a power-sharing deal with Sarkisian when the latter took over as president in 
April 2008.

Dashnaktsutyun received two ministerial posts in the current Armenian 
government formed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in May following mass 
protests that forced Sarkisian into resignation. Its statement did not say 
whether the party could pull out of Pashinian’s de facto coalition government 
if law-enforcement authorities press ahead with Kocharian’s prosecution.




Yerevan Hospital Chief Fired After Corruption Claims (UPDATED)
July 27, 2018
        • Narine Ghalechian

Armenia - The director of Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, Ara Minasian, 
2 April, 2018,

In a move that sparked protests by medics, the Armenian Ministry of Health 
sacked on Friday the executive director of a Yerevan hospital, who is related 
to former President Serzh Sarkisian, after alleging fraudulent practices there.

Health Minister Arsen Torosian said last week that an audit of the Surb Grigor 
Lusavorich Medical Center found that its management embezzled government funds 
allocated for free examinations and treatment of civil servants.

Torosian’s ministry put the alleged damage caused to the state since 2016 at 
around 545 million drams ($1.1 million). In a statement, it said it has asked 
prosecutors to look into the allegations and decide whether they warrant a 
criminal investigation.

Torosian announced on his Facebook page later in the day that Ara Minasian, the 
hospital director, has been fired due to “the enormous scale of the 
violations.” A new hospital chief will be chosen on a competitive basis, the 
minister wrote.

The sacking was condemned by several dozen doctors and other medical staff who 
demonstrated outside the hospital in support of Minasian. The protesters also 
included Samvel Farmanian, a parliament deputy from Sarkisian’s Republican 
Party. Farmanian demanded that Torosian visit the hospital and give more 
detailed explanations.

A statement released on behalf of the Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center 
staff earlier this month likewise voiced support for Minasian. It accused the 
Ministry of Health of waging a “political campaign” against Minasian.

A prominent doctor, Minasian is the father of Serzh Sarkisian’s son-in-law 
Mikael Minasian. The latter enjoyed considerable political and economic 
influence in Armenia until nationwide mass protests brought down Sarkisian in 
late April. He continues to serve as Armenia’s ambassador to the Vatican.

The new Armenian government has promised a tough fight against corruption. 
Among those targeted by its ongoing criminal investigations are individuals 
linked to Sarkisian, including his brother Levon, two nephews and former chief 
bodyguard.




Armenia’s Deputy PM Echoes Western Mining Firm’s Concerns
July 27, 2018
        • Emil Danielyan

Armenia - Gold mining facilities constructed by Lydian International company at 
Amulsar deposit, 18 May 2018.

Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian expressed “deep concern” on Friday over 
allegations by a U.S.-based mining company that a former senior Armenian 
official is involved in the continuing disruption of its operations in Armenia.

The company, Lydian International, released on Thursday a short video that 
purportedly shows the driver of an expensive car delivering food to several 
dozen protesters blockading the Amulsar gold deposit developed by it.

Lydian claimed that the car formally belongs to another mining company, the 
Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC), but is used by Vahe Hakobian, the 
former governor of the country’s southeastern Syunik province adjacent to 
Amulsar.

“The attached footage is vivid proof of the fact that those who illegally block 
the roads [leading to Amulsar] are financed by interested persons, rather than 
guided by environmental concerns,” it said in a statement.

Hakobian, who has also headed the Syunik chapter of former President Serzh 
Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) until now, denied any links to the 
protesters. In a statement cited by the Armenpress news agency, his spokesman, 
Vazgen Saghatelian, said that the videotaped SUV was driven by a ZCMC employee, 
Vahan Grigorian. He claimed that Grigorian did not hand out any food and on the 
contrary received several packets of apricots from one of his relatives whom he 
accidentally met on a highway near Amulsar.

Lydian’s claims were taken seriously by Avinian. In a statement posted on the 
Armenian government’s website, the vice-premier’s office said relevant state 
bodies must look into “new facts causing deep concern.”

“The latest report by the Lydian Armenia company requires an objective and 
consistent examination,” said the statement.

“We have to make sure that individuals pursuing parochial interests do not try 
to take advantage of the struggle waged by honest environmentalists concerned 
about Amulsar and Armenia’s nature in general,” it added.

The statement insisted that the government is committed to an “impartial and 
legal solution” to the Amulsar dispute.


Armenia - Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, 27 May, 2018.

The blockage of the mining site located about 160 kilometers southeast of 
Yerevan began on June 23 and is still continuing despite repeated appeals from 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. Pashinian said later in June that Lydian must 
be allowed to resume its operations pending the findings of an ad hoc working 
group that will soon inspect the company and assess its compliance with 
environmental standards.

The inspection was due to start early this month. However, the working group 
was formed by Pashinian only on July 20. It comprises representatives of 
various government agencies, mining experts and civil society representatives.

Environment protection groups say that the Amulsar project, if implemented, 
will contaminate air, water and soil in the area. Lydian maintains that it will 
use advanced technology to prevent any damage to the local ecosystem.

The company, which is registered in the British Channel Islands but 
headquartered in Colorado, said it has “well-founded suspicions” that the 
ongoing protests against gold mining at Amulsar are incited by other mining 
firms. It seemed to point the finger at ZCMC.

ZCMC is located in Syunik and currently employs 3,600 people, making it one of 
the country’s leading corporate taxpayers. It was privatized in 2004 at a 
modest price of $132 million. A German metals group, Cronimet, gained a 75 
percent stake in the industrial giant.

The rest of ZCMC is controlled by two obscure Armenian firms. Ownership of 
those firms has long been a subject of speculation in Armenia, with some local 
commentators and opposition politicians linking them to former President 
Sarkisian or his predecessor Robert Kocharian.

Hakobian was a senior ZCMC executive before Sarkisian appointed him as Syunik 
governor in 2016. He became the head of the ruling HHK’s regional branch in 
early 2017. Pashinian sacked Hakobian shortly after coming to power in May.

According to the Hetq.am investigative publication, Hakobian holds a 10 percent 
stake in Cronimet Metal Trading CIS, an apparent subsidiary of ZCMC’s German 
parent company.


Armenia -- A car blocks a road leading to the Amulsar mine, 2 July, 2018.

Lydian, which claims to have already invested more than $300 million in 
Amulsar, has around 1,400 workers, many of them residents of towns and villages 
close to the gold deposit. The company planned to start producing gold there 
before the end of this year. It has reported at least $14 million in financial 
losses resulting from the month-long disruption.

Lydian executives have repeatedly demanded that the Armenian authorities 
unblock the Amulsar roads. They have not ruled out the possibility of costly 
legal action against the Armenian state.

The Amulsar project has been strongly supported by the U.S. and British 
embassies in Yerevan. U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills warned on July 18 that 
greater U.S. investment in the Armenian economy depends, among other things, on 
the new authorities’ treatment of Lydian. He expressed hope earlier that the 
upcoming audit of the Amulsar operation will be conducted “in strict accordance 
with the law.”

Mills similarly stressed on Wednesday that potential U.S. investors need to be 
certain that “anyone who did invest here in good faith is not mistreated or has 
their investment wounded as a result of this kind of investigations.”




Press Review
July 27, 2018


“Zhoghovurd” says that investigators’ decision to press grave charges against 
former President Robert Kocharian came as a “shock” because no former Armenian 
head of state has been prosecuted before. The paper says that Kocharian 
responded to the development with the kind of accusations which he faced from 
his political opponents throughout his decade-long rule. It also notes that the 
Dashnaktsutyun and Prosperous Armenia parties, which cut power-sharing deals 
with Serzh Sarkisian following the March 2008 unrest, are now part of Nikol 
Pashinian’s government.

“Kocharian is convinced or at least wants to give the impression that he is 
prosecuted not for the events of March 1 [2018] but for political reasons,” 
writes “Haykakan Zhamanak.” The paper linked to Pashinian shrugs off 
Kocharian’s claim that the new authorities want to bar him from participating 
in forthcoming general elections because he would do well in them. It says that 
Armenians associate Kocharian’s rule with political killings, arrests of 
opposition figures, closure of media outlets and corruption, rather than 
economic betterment.

“Zhamanak” says that even after the recent “velvet revolution” few in Armenia 
believed that Kocharian could face prosecution. “The development took even 
Kocharian by surprise,” comments the paper. It says his prosecution signifies 
that “the situation has really changed in Armenia.”

“The accusation brought against Robert Kocharian raised many questions 
yesterday,” writes “Hraparak.” The paper says that the Special Investigation 
Service’s statement on that looked like a court verdict. “On the basis of what 
facts did they bring such an accusation?” it says. It points out that the SIS 
had said earlier that it will question Kocharian as a witness, not a criminal 
suspect.

(Tigran Avetisian)


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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