Is MP’s Arrest Warranted?

IS MPs’ ARREST WARRANTED?

A1+
18 July, 2008

"One hundred days is too short to expect fundamental changes from a
president of any country. President’s post is really an important
and responsible one," Speaker of the RoA National Assembly Tigran
Torossian shared the opinion on Serzh Sarkissian’s 100-day office
upon the request of journalists.

" A hundred days is not enough to estimate the radical changes made in
the country. It is necessary to evaluate all the steps which were taken
during those hundred days. We should not forget that the hundred days
began with the "unfortunate events" of March 1 which cannot be ignored
while assessing the first hundred days of the president’s tenure.

Surely, the tension is significantly relieved but there is still a
lot to be done to eliminate it fully."

Tigran Torossian noted that the parliament and the government have
worked at full over this period, and it should be viewed in the
context of the first hundred days of the president.

"It is a very interesting period for Armenia. On the one hand,
there is a possibility to change the country qualitatively and reach
new achievements, and on the other hand, the country faces serious
challenges and threats."

The NA Speaker says Armenia has 6 or 7 months’ time, not more, to
understand which path to take. In his opinion, the programmes set
forth by the president, the parliament and the government will prove
effective. Everything possible was done during those hundred days,
serious programmes were set forward and tension mitigated. However,
there is serious work to be done.

"None of the Armenian parliamentarians would like his colleagues to
be arrested," Tigran Torossian said in reply to A1+. We asked the
NA Speaker whether over the past four months, after the arrest of
the three Armenian MPs Hakob Hakobian, Sasun Mikayelian and Miasnik
Malkhassian, the Speaker tried to find out whether the detainees
have been interrogated and whether any charges have been brought
against them.

Tigran Torossian said "he wishes those people were in freedom and
were not accused of crime. Generally, no MP wishes his colleague to
stand trial."

Tigran Torossian says he has made inquiries from the prosecutor
general. Moreover, he is well aware of the meeting of the ad hoc
committee and the detained MPs. "I was assured that there are serious
grounds for their arrest and charges will be brought against them in
the nearest future."

Today Tigran Torossian dispelled the rumours about his upcoming
resignation.

To remind, it is rumoured that the NA Speaker is going to resign and
Head of the RoA President’s Administration, Hovik Abrahamian, will
"take up the post." Torossian says he is aware of those reports and
knows how they are ordered. However, Tigran Torossian said he is
From: Baghdasarian