RA OMBUDSMAN TO TAKE PART IN WORK OF NA COMMISSION STUDYING MARCH 1-2 EVENTS THROUGH HIS REPRESENTATIVE
NOYAN TAPAN
JU LY 11
RA Ombudsman Armen Haroutiunian in the future will cooperate with
the NA ad hoc commission on study of the March 1-2 events through
his representative Arman Khachatrian, the Monitoring Group Executive
of Ombudsman’s Office. RA Ombudsman said this at the July 11 press
conference not excluding that in come cases he will personally take
part in commission’s sittings.
In response to the question of a journalist of whether there is
a development of Ombudsman’s special public report on the March 1
events, A.
Haroutiunian said that an ad hoc commission studying the events
has been created and the prevailing majority of questions raised by
it coincides with the questions asked in the report in connection
with the March 1 morning events. The Ombudsman gave assurance that
if the whole political spectrum were represented in the commission,
everybody would gain.
A. Haroutiunian said that there were many responses to Ombudsman’s
questions regarding the actions of this or that policeman, some
policemen were dismissed, a policeman has received a reprimand
lately. "Law enforcers should further improve their activity,
dustrust to law enforcers and courts is rather high in society,"
the Ombudsman said. In connection with the RA Prosecutor General’s
question of "from where shall we find neutral witnesses on the March
1 events," the Ombudsman explained: "What is the difference between
a democratic state and an authoritarian one: if you fail to find a
neutral witness, fail to prove, you should set the defendant free:
it is you who is obliged to prove that he is guilty, he is not obliged
to prove his innocence."
The RA Ombudsman said that according to the Constitution, it is the
RA President who confers ranks, but it is not mentioned that he can
"take them back."
Ombudsman’s opinion in connection with a number of scandalous cases
is the following: the Ombudsman will vote for pre-term release of
Zhamanak Yerevan newspaper’s editor-in-chief Arman Babajanian in the
independent interdepartmental commission, Ombudsman’s office will keep
up with the new judicial enquiry on Mataghis case starting in Gyumri,
as regards the case of Levon Gulian, who died on May 12, 2007 in the
RA Police building, in non-cleared up circumstances, the Ombudsman
as before doubts that "something is wrong about that case."
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
