Tuesday,
Armenian Hospitals Overwhelmed By ‘Third COVID-19 Wave’
• Artak Khulian
Armenia -- A healthcare worker clad in protective gear looks after COVID-19
patients at the Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center, Yerevan, June 5, 2020.
Armenian hospitals appeared to have practically run out of vacant beds for
COVID-19 patients on Tuesday amid what health officials described as a third
wave of coronavirus infections in the country.
According to the Armenian Ministry of Health, about 300 people severely infected
with the disease awaited hospitalization in their homes early in the afternoon.
Deputy Health Minister Gevorg Simonian acknowledged that the waiting list
resulted not only from logistical problems but also a shortage of hospital beds.
The authorities have already nearly doubled the number of hospitals across
Armenia treating COVID-19 patients to cope with a resurgence of coronavirus
cases that began a month ago.
Simonian said that the total number of such hospital beds now stands at 2,171.
The authorities could add another 300 beds if necessary, he said.
The Ministry of Health reported in the morning that 750 Armenians tested
positive for the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, sharply up from an average of
183 cases a day recorded in February. It said the number of active cases rose to
almost 14,500 from 6,772 registered on March 11.
The ministry also reported at least 21 more deaths, bringing the official death
toll from the disease to 3,497.
In Simonian’s words, 228 infected and hospitalized persons were in a critical
condition as of Tuesday.
“Specialists from all medical centers assert that the proportion of patients in
a serious condition has increased during this third wave of infections,” said
the vice-minister. He suggested that this is the result of the prevalence of
new, more severe variants of the virus detected late last year.
Armenia -- People attend a rally organized by supporters of Armenian Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian in Yerevan, Armenia March 1, 2021.
An Armenian government commission dealing with the coronavirus pandemic
discussed the worsening epidemiological situation in the country on Monday at a
meeting chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. The latter ordered relevant
state bodies to step up the enforcement of the government’s sanitary rules meant
to curb the spread of the coronavirus.
Critics say that Pashinian himself contributed to the renewed increase of
coronavirus cases by holding pro-government rallies in and outside Yerevan over
the past month. Armenian opposition parties have staged even more rallies in the
capital.
Varduhi Petrosian, a public health expert, said that widespread disregard for
the safety rules in enclosed spaces has been another serious factor behind the
coronavirus resurgence. She argued that few Armenians now wear mandatory masks
not only on the street but also in shops and even public buses.
Armenia, Georgia Said To Discuss Border Reopening
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- The Armenian-Georgian border crossing at Bavra, October 1, 2017.
Armenia and Georgia are discussing the possibility of reopening their land
border closed one year ago due to the coronavirus pandemic, the Armenian Foreign
Ministry said on Tuesday.
Both neighboring states shut down their border crossings for foreign travellers
in March 2020 following the outbreak of the pandemic. The Georgian-Armenian
border has since remained open for only cargo shipments.
The Armenian government completely lifted its entry ban foreigners in January
this year.
By contrast, Georgia still maintains most of its travel restrictions. It allows
only the citizens of some countries, including Armenia, to enter the country by
air after testing negative for COVID-19.
Georgian Economy Minister Natia Turnava said on Monday that her government is
now considering reopening the country’s border crossings.
Armenian Foreign Minister Ara Ayvazian said last week that Yerevan is engaged in
“very active contacts” with Tbilisi over the possible reopening of the
Georgian-Armenian border.
“Both sides are committed to solving this issue,” Ayvazian told Armenian
lawmakers. “Obviously the pandemic is still having a negative impact. But there
are also some technical problems. I’m sure that they can be quickly resolved.”
An Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on
Tuesday that the “active contacts” between the two countries are continuing. The
official did not say when the Armenian-Georgian border could be reopened.
Mekhak Apresian, the head of the Armenian Tourism Federation, welcomed the
possible border reopening. He said that it would boost the tourism sectors of
both countries reeling from massive losses incurred as a result of the pandemic.
According to official statistics, the number of tourists visiting Armenia and
Georgia plummeted by more than 80 percent last year.
Pashinian Accused Of Illegal Election Campaigning
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian visits a village in Armavir province,
March 28, 2021.
Opposition leaders and civic activists accused Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on
Tuesday of abusing his powers to illegally launch his political team’s campaign
for snap parliamentary elections expected in June.
Pashinian has toured villages in two Armenian regions and held rallies there
after announcing on March 18 plans to hold the elections amid continuing
opposition protests against his rule. The weekend trips were not announced
beforehand and virtually no media outlets were able to cover them.
Pashinian mentioned the anticipated polls when he addressed villagers in Armavir
province on Sunday. Speaking at one of those rallies, he urged supporters to
vote against “wolves seeking to come to power” and give his administration a
“mandate to strangle the wolves.”
“I hope and believe that you will solve that problem,” said Pashinian.
Opposition leaders condemned what they described as illegal campaign trips and
gatherings facilitated by local government officials.
“Nikol Pashinian is now doing something against which he had for decades fought
as a journalist and a parliament deputy,” said Naira Zohrabian, a senior member
of the opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). “He is doing so in a much more
ugly, immoral and open manner than the former authorities did.”
“Nikol Pashinian’s every trip to the regions is a total abuse of administrative
resources,” Zohrabian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. She claimed that public
sector employees and other local residents are forced to attend his rallies.
Daniel Ioannisian of the Union of Informed Citizens, a Yerevan-based civic
group, likewise charged that Pashinian’s trips constitute a “blatant abuse of
administrative resources.”
“When you meet with voters, speak about elections, the future and your programs,
and say at the same time that you have just decided to pave roads in their
village that gives those who possess administrative resources a clear advantage
over other parties,” said Ioannisian.
Pashinian’s office could not be immediately reached for comment on these
accusations.
Lawyers Demand End To Kocharian’s ‘Unconstitutional’ Trial
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian (C) and his lawyers attend a court
hearing in Yerevan, .
Lawyers for Robert Kocharian demanded on Tuesday that a Yerevan judge throw out
coup charges against Armenia’s former president, arguing that the Constitutional
Court has declared them unconstitutional.
Kocharian as well as two retired generals are prosecuted under Article 300.1 of
the Armenian Criminal Code dealing with “overthrow of the constitutional order.”
The accusation rejected by them as politically motivated stems from the 2008
post-election unrest in Yerevan that left ten people dead.
The current Criminal Code was enacted in 2009. The previous code, which was in
force during the dramatic events of March 2008, had no clauses relating to
“overthrow of the constitutional order” and contained instead references to
“usurpation of state power.”
Kocharian’s legal team appealed to the Constitutional Court in 2019, saying that
Article 300.1 cannot be used retroactively against the ex-president. A judge who
initially presided over Kocharian’s high-profile trial also asked the high court
to pass judgment on the legality of the accusation.
In a March 26 ruling, the court backed the defense lawyers’ arguments. It said
that the prosecutors’ recourse to Article 300.1 runs counter to the Armenian
constitution.
The Office of the Prosecutor-General has still not reacted to the ruling.
Anna Danibekian, the current presiding judge, said on Tuesday that she has
received a letter from a prosecutor asking her to adjourn the trial until April
6. Danibekian said he informed her that the prosecution needs time to submit an
“extensive petition” in connection with the Constitutional Court’s decision.
Armenia - Judge Anna Danibekian presides over former President Robert
Kocharian's trial, Yerevan, .
The judge went on to announce that the trial will resume on April 2. Kocharian’s
lawyers criticized the decision, saying that she should have put an end to the
coup trial instead.
“In effect, our client is still prosecuted under a Criminal Code article that
does not exist anymore … You must have stopped his prosecution by now,” one of
them, Hayk Alumian, told Danibekian.
“Do you realize just how seriously you are breaking the law?” Alumian charged.
Kocharian, who ruled Armenia from 1998-2008, also stands accused of
bribe-taking. He strongly denies that accusation as well.
The 66-year-old ex-president has been at loggerheads with Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s government ever since it took office in May 2018. He was first
arrested in July 2018. He was twice freed and twice rearrested before Armenia’s
Court of Appeals released him on bail in June 2020.
Kocharian announced his return to active politics shortly after the first
arrest. He declared in January that he and his political allies will participate
in snap parliamentary elections expected later this year. He said they will be
Pashinian’s main challengers.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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