GOVERNMENT TRIES TO GIVE AN ORGANIZED ASPECT TO THEIR WITHDRAWAL
ARMAN GALOYAN
LRAGIR.AM
16:11:31 – 23/04/2009
Interview with the coordinator of the Armenian National Congress
central office (HAK) Levon Zurabyan
-The office of the prosecutor general revised and reformed the charge
of the "case of 7" and the cases are now being examined separately. How
would you comment on this?
– The most important is that all this happened under the repression of
the national movement and the PACE. The government finally gave up
its main accusation, as if the opposition was planning and carrying
out a revolution during the last February and March wanting to
seize the power. Now they adopted some little hooligan tactics:
they try to preserve the false and small accusations in order to
keep the political prisoners under arrest. And, if there were people
who believed the absurd accusations of the government against the
opposition, now they realize that the version presented by the
government is an absolute lie.
– Nevertheless, the government keeps charging the defendants of the
"case of 7" under the Article 225 – organization of mass disorders,
several of them are even accused of having illegal weapons.
– The new version of this article contains some clarifications,
according to which the accusing side has to prove that the defendants
organized those actions personally, while the previous version
supposed no prove that the for this. In other words, the Crime Code
is brought close to the logic, and now undeniable proves are to be
presented that really all the defendants personally set fire to the
cars, plunder shops etc. Naturally, the government does not have such
proofs or testimonies. This is the weakest case I’ve ever seen. As for
example, in the case of Gagik Jhangiryan there were at least false
testimonies and proofs which the judge used and issued a verdict,
but here even these false proofs lack. This criminal case is being
gradually destroyed. – Firstly, for the murders on March 1, the 7
people charged under the "case of 7" were accused of, when they were
accused of organizing mass disorders accompanied with murders. But,
now a separate criminal case has been brought after the revision of
the accusations. What do you think will the government take up the
revelation of these assassinations?
– This is another withdrawal that the regime has recorded. They have
tried to put all the responsibility for those murders on the opposition
for a whole year, but all their efforts were in vain. And, now, as they
cannot blame the opposition for the murders, they have to answer who is
responsible for the 10 victims. It is evident that these steps made in
result of internal and external repression, the government is obvious
not to reveal the crimes which they themselves committed. But here is
no need for disappointment. The truth will somehow be proved until the
revolution, and after the committers of those crimes will leave the
government, a thorough and objective examination will be carried out.
– What verdicts do you expect for the political prisoners of the
"case of 7"? Do you think the court will justify them, at least under
the repression of the PACE or international public, if, as you say,
they do not have any fact proving that they themselves organized the
disorders on March 1?
– This government cannot surprise me anymore. Moreover, they always
turned out to be more mean and insidious than they were expected to
be. So, I don’t have any ground to expect such an outcome. But, this
does not mean that the struggle will not continue. Now the government
tries to leave an impression of an organized withdrawal.
– In the recent period, the parliamentary group to study March 1
and the public commission set up by the oppositions became more
passive. What is its reason?
– I don’t think there they became passive. Just, the fact finding group
is engaged in serious work and there are already some results. It is
another question that there has been again created some obstacles
recently, and it may be worth to make public the process of March
1 investigation.
– Before the latest PACE session the government released some of the
oppositional prisoners at least by forcing applications for pardon
from them. But, there does not seem to be such an intention before
the PACE April session. What do you think, why the government does
not make this step?
– A crystallizing process is going on now, in other words, now people
who are less aimed at giving up their political stances are kept in
jails. And it is very difficult to force applications for pardon
form them. I think that this is the reason why no one is released
before the PACE April session. Unlike Moldova, where the president
announced amnesty to everyone except the real criminals, here all
those people who plundered the shops were set free, and the others
who are persecuted for their political stances are still in prison.
– Why are the political prisoners who have carried the 1/3 of
their punishment not released? Since, the Constitution gives such
a possibility.
– The government is just scared on the eve of the Yerevan mayor
election. They don’t want to make a step which will render more
powerful the opposition. They are trying to hold this election by
keeping the most powerful members of the opposition as hostages.
They are not able for an equal struggle either from moral, or from
political point of view. They are terrified as they know they have
no chance.