ArmInfo. According to the situation, as of 11 am on May 30, 67 citizens were isolated in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic). This was reported by the information headquarters of Artsakh. According to the source, 38 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed. A total of 863 citizens were tested for coronavirus. 26 people recovered, isolated 863 citizens, no death cases were recorded.
The Sardarabad monument (Photo by Matthew Karanian)
In was a bleak time in history for Armenians in 1918. Centuries of oppression by Ottoman rulers had manifested into full-blown Genocide on the Western front, while the Bolsheviks who toppled the Russian Czarist regime that ruled over Armenia’s Eastern front had their own plans to oppress through invasion and integration. The time had come to fight for independence or risk being absorbed by the powers that had wrought havoc on the Armenian Nation for centuries.
This might be simplifying a complex geopolitical reality facing Armenians in May 2018, but the need to be independent from foreign rule was born out of a national agenda that sought to bring together all Armenians on our ancestral soil and allow them to determine for themselves their own fate and destiny.
Being in service to the people, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation rose to the challenge and carried the mantle of independence, making it a national mandate to organize Armenians from all over the world to fight for our homeland.
The valiant and heroic efforts of those who fought for independence 102 years ago in the battles of Sardarabad, Bash-Abaran and Gharkiliseh established the first Republic of Armenia and made the dream of Armenia’s Independence a reality.
The victories on May 28, 1918 were rooted in a national ideology that while advancing the universal concepts of freedom and self-determination were uniquely Armenian in nature and every decision taken the government at the time was grounded in the firm belief of advancing justice, security and prosperity for every Armenian.
The national agenda at play in 1918, once again, became a driving force 70 years later with the spark of the Artsakh Liberation Movement in 1988 and guided the Armenian Nation to victory when Artsakh was liberated and declared itself an independent state.
Today, the Republic of Armenia, having regained independence in 1991, has become the nexus for our national aspirations. That is why now, more than ever, a national agenda is needed to regroup our nation and ensure that every Armenian—wherever they might be—is a soldier for the homeland and will fight for the national interests of Armenia and its people.
When Armenia became independent again in 1991, its leaders sought to marginalize the people and make themselves the beneficiaries of our national wealth, causing detrimental damage to nation-building efforts and the creation of a national agenda, which prioritizes the individual Armenian as the critical focal point in advancing national interests. Taking a page from the Soviet playbook—or not ridding themselves from it—successive governments looked at the population as being dispensable—and at times disposable—in their self-serving mission to amass personal wealth at any cost.
So, 100 years after Armenia’s Independence, when the people of Armenia rose up to reclaim their destiny and homeland by toppling the despotic regime, a new opportunity was born for Armenians around the world to engage in advancing the homeland and ensuring the development of a more just and equitable society that can thrive and persevere.
Today, however, some remnants of the previous regime are leveraging the wealth they usurped from the people to create obstacles for the advancement of the nation in hopes of staging a comeback and reestablishing their egregious rule.
Since the people’s movement in 2018 that ushered in a new government there have been positive changes in Armenia, the most important of which is the optimism of its people who are now vested in the future of the country. However, there have also been steps taken by the new government that harken back to the divisive methods of past leaders, which will only alienate the vary people the movement empowered.
We cannot afford to squander the opportunity that the people of Armenia created for our entire Nation in 2018 through the popular movement. The current government is no longer “new” and must be held accountable for its actions and equally praised for its positive advancements. Our criticisms of the regime must be mature and come from a place of strengthening our nation and not sowing enmity. The same applies to government representatives who, sometimes, have used their position to create factionalism that has no place in our society.
One thing is certain: there is no going back to the past. This means that every Armenian must work toward the strengthening of the republics of Armenia and Artsakh, thus ensuring its security and social justice for its people. Together we must demand a national agenda that is free of Soviet vestiges and not only serves the individual Armenia, but also advances historical justice that can only propel a future United, Free and Independent Armenia.
`As we mark the 102nd anniversary of Armenia’s independence and we recall the decisive victories that created our country—and continue to embolden those today who are protecting our borders in Artsakh and Armenia—we must recommit ourselves as soldiers of the nation and work collectively to overcome challenges and celebrate new victories.
15:28,
YEREVAN, MAY 28, ARMENPRESS. Ambassador of Germany to Armenia Michael Banzhaf congratulated on the occasion of the 102nd anniversary of the establishment of First Republic of Armenia., ARMENPRESS was informed from the Embassy of Germany in Armenia.
‘’We heartily congratulate on Republic Day. Ambassador Banzhaf and the Embassy of Germany heartily congratulate the Armenian people on this holiday, which is exceptional in the history of Armenia’’, the Embassy said.
On May 28 Armenians worldwide celebrate the 102th anniversary of establishment of the First Republic of Armenia and the historical victory in the battle of Sardarapat.
On May 28, 1918, with the victory in the battles of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan and Gharakilisa, the Armenian people’s independence was restored which was lost over 9 centuries ago. 102 years ago, this day, the Armenian people, who survived the Genocide, entered into fight with the enemy not far from Yerevan for the sake of protecting the last inch of land of the Fatherland.
The battle of Sardarapat was decisive for the Armenian people. The entire people stood up for the defense of the Fatherland. Together with soldiers, families, elderly people, children, women were in the battlefield. Defeating the Turkish army in Sardarapat the Armenian forces managed to prevent the Turkish invasion in South Caucasus and save Armenia from total elimination.
On May 28, 1918, the Armenian National Council declared in Tbilisi the First Republic of Armenia.
Hovhannes Kajaznuni was the first Prime Minister of Independent Armenia.
Editing and Translating by Tigran Sirekanyan
Raffi Bedrosyan
BY RAFFI BEDOROSYAN
Only a few months after the long delayed election and appointment of Archbishop Sahag Mashalian as the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople (Istanbul) in December 2019, the Istanbul Armenian community is again in crisis. The latest turn of events brought forth the unpleasant realities in the leadership of the Istanbul Armenian community, or the lack of it.
It all started on May 15, 2020 by the firing of two long-serving and popular principals of Esayan high school and Esayan middle school by the Director of the charitable foundation in charge of Esayan. Esayan School in Taksim, Istanbul was founded in 1895 by two brothers, Mgrditch and Hovhannes Esayan, and is one of 17 Armenian schools left in Turkey, all of them in Istanbul, compared to more than 800 schools in Ottoman Turkey prior to the 1915 Armenian Genocide. This historic and prestigious institution has a primary school for boys and girls, a middle and high school for girls only. Both my wife and I are graduates of Esayan primary school. Every Armenian school in Istanbul, as well as every Armenian church, is directed and controlled by an Armenian charitable foundation, accountable to the General Directorate of Charitable Foundations of Turkey.
And now, time to review the contents of Pandora’s Box. Esayan School is controlled by the Holy Trinity (Surp Yerrortutyun) Charitable Foundation, which also controls the church of the same name. It is one of the wealthiest charitable foundations, with significant real estate assets, including 26 office buildings, numerous apartments and more significantly, the historic Tokatliyan Hotel which at present operates as an office building. The monthly revenue of the charitable foundation is estimated to be over a million dollars, even with the mismanagement and inability to utilize the real potential of the assets. Although the foundation is supposed to have a Board of Directors of at least seven members to be elected every four years, the Turkish government has not allowed elections for the past seven years and due to deaths and resignations, there are only two Directors left in control of this vast real estate empire, school and church, accountable to no one. And the senior of these two Directors, a lawyer by profession, unilaterally decided two weeks ago that the two dedicated and popular principals of Esayan School had to go.
The Esayan School in Istanbul
The dismissal of these two ladies caused a huge uproar and massive protest within the Istanbul Armenian community, as well as among the thousands of Esayan alumni scattered around the world. The Toronto branch of Esayan Alumni, along with other alumni and community leaders, immediately called upon the Istanbul Patriarchate to use its moral and legal authority to intervene and to have the two Holy Trinity Foundation directors reconsider and revoke the dismissal decision, and if they resist, to ask for their resignation. The Patriarch did call upon the two directors, as well as the two principals to come together and discuss the issues face to face – but only after the government relaxes the covid virus related restrictions some time in June. It is disappointing that the Patriarchate did not consider to make use of technology by inviting both sides to an immediate video conference via Skype or Zoom, as time is of essence in this issue.
This incident also brought to the forefront the issue of elections for the Armenian charitable foundations and why the government prevents them for the past seven years. This situation is similar to the Patriarchate elections which were prevented from the time the previous Patriarch was incapacitated ten years ago until last year, during which an acting Patriarch ran the affairs of the patriarchate, in complete obedience to the government, perhaps not always in the best interests of the Armenian community and the church. The directors of the charitable foundations also run their affairs, individually and unilaterally, unaccountable and perhaps not in the best interests of the Armenian community overall. The wealthy charitable foundations with significant assets are supposed to assist the schools and churches of charitable foundations with limited revenues. But this rarely happens. The directors of most of the wealthy charitable foundations run their empires, hire or help their buddies, buy and sell assets without the advice of professionals, and of course, they like their chairs and are content with the lack of elections. Some foundations have become extremely wealthy in recent years and have received significant compensation as they have won several lawsuits against the government which had illegally expropriated assets in the past. These assets should be put to use for the good of the entire community, for schools, bursaries, social services and employment, by regularly elected, competent, responsible and accountable members of the community. Unfortunately, this is not the case at present, except for a few directors with good intentions.
The dismissal of the two Esayan principals triggered another scandal. The self-appointed spokesperson for the Istanbul Armenian community, the head of the Holy Saviour (Surp Prgitch) Hospital Foundation, took it upon himself to send a letter to the General Directorate of Charitable Foundations of Turkey, recommending that the control of Esayan School be taken away from the Holy Trinity Armenian Church Foundation and transferred to his Hospital Charitable Foundation – a completely unilateral and outrageous act, without consulting and discussing with anyone. Instead of advocating for the legal and democratic process of election of directors, he further suggested that appropriate people be ‘appointed’ to run the school. Although one should give the benefit of doubt and hope that this act has good intentions, it is difficult not to speculate about ulterior motives. This person has publicly suggested in the past that if Esayan School is losing money, it should be closed and merged with another high school named Getronagan (Central) School. This person is also on record stating that Getronagan School is run badly and ‘is raising militants’. Getronagan School is situated at the commercial centre of the city, sitting on a very valuable plot of land. Perhaps merging the two schools on the Esayan School plot, and selling the Getronagan School property could be the end game in this person’s mind. As in many other Armenian communities, schools are now deemed dispensable by charitable organizations if they lose money. Unfortunately this reality is further exacerbated in the Istanbul Armenian community, where there is no election and accountability of the charitable foundation directors, no unity and cooperation between the ‘have’ and ‘have-not’ charitable foundations, no moral and legal authority of the Patriarchate, and the result is the loss of historic institutions and valuable individuals.
Monday,
Former Security Chief Coy About Pashinian’s ‘Deal Offer’
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Former National Security Service Director Artur Vanetsian speaks to
journalists, .
Artur Vanetsian, the former head of Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS),
on Monday declined to confirm or deny claims that he had offered former
President Serzh Sarkisian’s fugitive son-in-law a far-reaching deal on behalf of
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Mikael Minasian, who had enjoyed considerable clout during Sarkisian’s
decade-long rule, claimed on May 2 that Pashinian offered to guarantee his and
his father’s immunity from prosecution if he pledges to pay cash and stop
challenging the Armenian government. He said Vanetsian personally communicated
Pashinian’s proposal to him during a February 2019 meeting held in Rome.
Pashinian has refused to comment on Minasian’s allegations, saying that they are
investigated by the Special Investigative Service (SIS). The law-enforcement
agency summoned Vanetsian for questioning on May 7. The latter reportedly
refused to give any testimony.
The SIS tried to question Vanetsian again on Monday. The former NSS chief, who
is now a bitter critic of Pashinian, gave no details of the interrogation when
he spoke to journalists after emerging from the SIS headquarters.
Asked whether what Minasian said is true, he said: “I neither refute it nor
refuse to refute it. I don’t comment.” He argued that he is not allowed to
breach “the secrecy of the investigation.”
Vanetsian claimed late last year that he met with Minasian on the prime
minister’s orders when he ran Armenia’s most powerful security service. He stood
by that statement on Monday but again did not elaborate.
“I can only say one thing: I acted solely within the bounds of my legal powers,”
Vanetsian told RFE/RL’s Armenian as he made his way into the SIS building.
Armenia -- Mikael Minasian.
Minasian, who now lives abroad, made the allegations one week after it emerged
that he was charged with illegal enrichment, false asset disclosure and money
laundering earlier this year. He rejected the accusations as politically
motivated.
Pashinian has repeatedly accused Minasian of illegally making a huge fortune
during Sarkisian’s rule.
A newspaper controlled by the prime minister alleged in January that Minasian
and Vanetsian have joined forces in a bid to topple him. Also, a spokeswoman for
Pashinian claimed late last month that “according to the government’s
information” Vanetsian abused his NSS position to buy Minasian’s minority stake
in Armenia’s largest mining company. Vanetsian strongly denied that.
Vanetsian resigned as NSS director last September after falling out with
Pashinian for still unclear reasons. He officially announced his entry into
politics in February, saying that he is setting up an opposition party for that
purpose.
In recent months, the former security chief has repeatedly accused Pashinian of
incompetence and misrule and called for his resignation.
Opposition Lawmakers Return To ‘Violent’ Parliament
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- Pro-government and opposition deputies brawl on the parliament floor,
Yerevan, May 8, 2020.
The opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK) ended on Monday a two-week boycott of
sessions of the parliament despite accusing its pro-government majority of not
renouncing violent responses to criticism.
LHK lawmakers walked out of the National Assembly on May 8 following a brawl
involving their leader Edmon Marukian and deputies from Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s My Step bloc. One of those deputies, Sasun Mikaelian, punched
Marukian while the latter spoke on the parliament floor in the presence of
Pashinian and government ministers.
Pashinian deplored the violence but blamed it on LHK “provocations.” Marukian’s
party charged in response that he thereby “justified, legitimized and
encouraged” violence against his political opponents. It also demanded
Mikaelian’s resignation.
The ruling bloc responded by saying that Mikaelian will resign from the
parliament only if Marukian quits too.
The brawl prompted a preliminary inquiry by Armenia’s Special Investigative
Service (SIS). The law-enforcement body announced at the weekend that it cannot
indict anyone because neither Marukian nor any other parliamentarian suffered
multiple blows during the May 8 incident. Citing a “precedent-setting” ruling
handed down by the Court of Cassation in 2012, the SIS said that a “single blow
cannot be qualified as a beating.”
Armenia -- Bright Armenia Party leader Edmon Marukian at a news conference in
Yerevan, April 20, 2020.
The LHK rejected this explanation on Monday. It said footage of the incident
clearly shows that its leader was hit not only by Mikaelian but also two other
My Step deputies. In a statement, the opposition party also insisted that the
SIS has enough evidence to bring charges under another article of the Criminal
Code that deals with “hooliganism.”
Marukian said the authorities’ response to the LHK boycott suggests that a
repeat of the May 8 violence may well be possible.
“We have drawn conclusions and will return to work with those conclusions in
mind and in the knowledge that at some point someone could hit us from behind.
We have to be careful and look back and around us,” he told a news conference.
“We are dealing with people who can hit us from behind, people who justify
violence, people who do not tolerate dissent and label it as a provocation,”
claimed the LHK leader.
Alen Simonian, a deputy parliament speaker and senior My Step member, shrugged
off these claims.
“People have seen everything and know who Edmon Marukian is in the political
sense,” said Simonian. “The authorities have condemned violence and never
resorted to it, even when the public demanded it.”
Arrests Spark Protests In Armenian Town
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia -- Kajaran Mayor Manvel Paramazian (L) leads a demonstration outside a
police station in Kapan,
Hundreds of residents of Karajan, a small town in southeastern Armenia, took to
the streets on Sunday to protest against the arrest of four local men linked to
its mayor.
The mayor, Manvel Paramazian, led the daylong protests after condemning the
“unfounded arrests” and claiming that they are part of his “political
persecution” by law-enforcement authorities.
Paramazian’s protesting supporters gathered outside a police station in Kapan,
the nearby capital of the country’s Syunik province, where the arrested men were
held on suspicion of violent assault. Angered by rumors about their
ill-treatment in police custody, the crowd tried to stop the local police from
transferring the suspects to Yerevan.
Syunik Governor Hunan Poghosian addressed it, promising that the criminal
investigation will objective. The protesters refused to disperse, however.
Paramazian added to their fury after being allowed to enter the police station
and see the detainees. He alleged that they were indeed tortured by policemen.
Still, the protesters agreed to unblock the entrance to the police station at
Paramazian’s urging at around midnight. The mayor said local officials assured
him that the probe will be fair and that the men connected to him will not be
subjected to violence.
In a late-night statement, Armenia’s Investigative Committee clarified that the
arrested men are suspected of kidnapping and beating up another Kajaran resident
late last month. It said investigators also found large quantities of marijuana
in a house belonging to one of the suspects.
The statement indicated that Paramazian is also regarded as a suspect in the
case. It said investigators are now trying to “verify” and “ascertain” the
mayor’s possible involvement in the violence.
Paramazian, who has run the industrial town since 2016, confirmed that the
police searched his home last week.
Meanwhile, prosecutors in Yerevan said on Monday that they have instructed
another law-enforcement body, the Special Investigative Service, to investigate
the torture allegations. Also, the national police chief, Aram Sargsian, ordered
an internal inquiry for the same purpose.
A lawyer representing one of the arrested men, Khoren Mirzoyan, told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service that his client did not claim to have been ill-treated by
policemen when they spoke on Sunday. He also said that Mirzoyan denies any
involvement in the alleged violence.
Located about 370 kilometers southeast of Yerevan, Kajaran is home to Armenia’s
largest mining enterprise. The Zangezur Copper-Molybdenum Combine (ZCMC) employs
more than 4,000 people. Many of them are Kajaran residents.
According to the Investigative Committee, the four arrested men also work at
ZCMC.
Armenian PM Blames Businesses For Coronavirus Spike
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses the nation on Facebook, May
24, 2020.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian held businesses reopened by his government over
the past month primarily responsible for the accelerating spread of coronavirus
in Armenia which resulted in another daily high of COVID-19 cases and deaths on
Sunday.
The Armenian Ministry of Health said on Monday morning that as many as 452
people tested positive for coronavirus in the past day, bringing to 7,113 the
total number of confirmed cases in the country of about 3 million. The latest
daily number of new infections is sharply up from the previous record high of
374 cases recorded on Friday.
With the ministry reporting 6 more deaths, the official death toll from the
epidemic rose to 87. It does not include the deaths of 39 other people infected
with the respiratory disease. The ministry claims that they died primarily as a
result of other, pre-existing conditions.
Six such fatalities were registered on Sunday. One of the victims is a
31-year-old woman who gave birth about a week ago, according to a ministry
statement.
Pashinian took to Facebook late on Sunday to discuss this “very dangerous
situation” and present further actions planned by the Armenian authorities.
“The main reason for the rise in the number of cases is industrial enterprises,”
he said in a video address. “More than 75 percent and even 80 percent of [new]
cases are registered in industrial enterprises and the services sector.”
Armenia -- A busy cafe in downtown Yerevan, May 14, 2020
Pashinian accused those businesses of failing to observe social distancing and
hygiene rules set by the government. He said the government will now enforce
tougher penalties for such violations.
“Those cafes, restaurants, bank branches, manufacturing enterprises or
hairdresser salons which do not observe the safety rules will be harshly shut
down,” he declared.
Pashinian’s government ordered the closure of most nonessential businesses and
seriously restricted people’s movements as part of a nationwide lockdown imposed
in late March. But it began relaxing these restrictions already in mid-April.
Although the daily numbers of confirmed COVID-19 cases steadily increased in the
following weeks, most sectors of the Armenian economy were reopened by May 4.
The government went on to lift its ban on public transport and allow
kindergartens, shopping malls, indoor restaurants and gyms to resume their work.
Opposition figures and other critics say that the authorities ended the lockdown
too soon and never enforced it properly in the first place.
Pashinian effectively acknowledged on Sunday that the lifting of the lockdown
has contributed to the spread of the virus. But he insisted that the measure was
necessary for economic reasons.
Accordingly, the prime minister gave no indications that he may restore lockdown
restrictions. He made clear instead that the authorities will continue to put
the emphasis on the “people’s consciousness.” He again urged them to practice
social distancing and wear face masks in all enclosed spaces and shops in
particular.
Armenia -- People stroll in the center of Yerevan, May 22, 2020.
Armenians have already been required for the last few weeks to wear masks and
gloves when entering shops, banks and other businesses. There has been ample
evidence of widespread non-compliance with this requirement, however.
Health Minister Arsen Torosian repeatedly warned last week that the number of
people dying from coronavirus could rise sharply soon. He is particularly
worried about an impeding shortage of intensive care beds at the Armenian
hospitals treating COVID-19 patients.
In a Facebook post, Torosian said on Sunday evening that 154 of 186 such beds
available in the country are already occupied. He also wrote: “We have 230
patients in a serious condition and 52 patients in a critical condition.”
Faced with the soaring number of new cases, the health authorities on Friday
stopped hospitalizing or isolating infected people showing mild symptoms of the
virus or none at all. Such individuals are now supposed to self-isolate at home.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
Germany does not recognize the illegal regime established in Nagorno Karabakh, and accordingly, there are no accredited diplomatic or consular representatives, nor a recognized mission of this entity, the Federal Foreign Office said in its response to an official request from the Azerbaijani side, according to AzerTag.
“Paragraph 132 of the Criminal Code of Germany envisages the criminalization of the use of titles or official ranks, including names that may be confused with those. This also includes the ranks by which the person using them creates the appearance of being an official of a non-existent state,” the Foreign Office said.
Thus, Berlin openly stated the illegal activities of the “permanent mission of the illegal regime in Karabakh".
In order to prevent certain attempts to interpret its statement, the Federal Foreign Office added the following explanation, which refers personally to the impostor Harutyun Grigoryan, who almost appears to be "the ambassador of the illegal regime established in Karabakh”.
“In this regard, the Federal Foreign Office demanded that Grigoryan immediately stop creating any appearance of the international legal subjectivity of Nagorno-Karabakh and the related diplomatic or consular mission. It was noted that in case of failure to comply with the requirement, legal measures will be taken,” read the document.
There is nothing to add to what has already been saying. Everything is clear!
Sara Anjargolian is Chief of Staff at Armenia’s newly-established Office of the High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs.
She is also the co-founder of Impact Hub Yerevan, an international organization that offers shared working space to different organizations in a variety of fields so they can create networks that lead to effective and innovative work.
Anjargolian talks with CivilNet’s Ani Paitjan about the challenges and the future projects of the Office of the High Commissioner, as well as the special position as a bridge between the Diaspora and Armenia.
Minister Arayik Harutyunyan addresses congratulatory message on International Museum Day
10:56,
YEREVAN, MAY 18, ARMENPRESS. Armenia’s minister of education, science, culture and sport Arayik Harutyunyan addressed a congratulatory message on the International Museum Day.
Armenpress presents the message:
“Dear employees of museums,
Since 1978 the international community is celebrating May 18 as the International Museum Day, at the proposal of the International Council of Museums (ICOM). It’s already four years our country, having a rich museum heritage, has become an active participant and advocate of this initiative.
Museums are the most important centers of our culture, education and development, which keep and present our historical memory, the witnesses of key events, facts and our national identity in general.
May 18 is a good opportunity to value the role of museums as centers of acquiring new knowledge, recognizing real values, getting inspired, creating and implementing imaginary ideas. Due to the current situation, for the first time we have to celebrate this day in unusual conditions. Under the slogan “Museums For Equality: Diversity and Inclusion” all museums will present their events online, and the traditional Museum Night is planned to be held in November.
May 18 is also accepted to be considered as the professional day of people working in the museum field. Therefore, I specifically congratulate all specialists of the field. I wish you productive activity, energy and hundreds of thousands of visitors”.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan
Thursday,
Former Parliament Speaker Goes On Trial
Armenia -- Former parliament speaker Ara Babloyan is interviewed by RFE/RL,
Yerevan October 26, 2019
A court in Yerevan began on Thursday the trial of former parliament speaker Ara
Babloyan and one of his former aides who are facing criminal charges rejected by
them as politically motivated.
Babloyan and Arsen Babayan were charged last October with abusing their powers
and forging documents to help Armenia’s former leadership install Hrayr
Tovmasian as chairman of the Constitutional Court in March 2018. Babayan was
arrested but freed on bail three weeks later.
The Special Investigative Service (SIS) indicted the two men as Tovmasian faced
growing government pressure to resign. It claimed that the former Armenian
parliament elected him court chairman in breach of the country’s constitution.
The SIS said that Babloyan illegally accepted and announced the resignation of
Tovmasian’s predecessor, Gagik Harutiunian, before receiving a relevant letter
from him. It said that Babayan, who was the deputy chief of the parliament staff
at the time, backdated the letter to enable Tovmasian to head the Constitutional
Court before the entry into force of sweeping amendments to the Armenian
constitution.
The amendments introduced a six-year term in office for the head of Armenia’s
highest court. Tovmasian, 49, became chief court justice under the previous
constitution which allows him to hold the post until the age of 70.
Both suspects strongly deny the accusations. Babloyan maintains that
Harutiunian’s letter of resignation was dated March 1, 2018 and that he received
and signed it on March 2, 2018, not three days later, as is claimed by the SIS.
In a statement issued ahead of the first court hearing in the case, Babayan
charged that he and the former speaker are subjected to “crude political
persecution” and will expose during their trial “pathetic and blatant
violations” of the due process committed by investigators.
The SIS and prosecutors deny any political motives behind the criminal case.
Yerevan Requests Council Of Europe Advice On High Court ‘Crisis’
• Ruzanna Stepanian
France -- Prime Minister NIkol Pashinin meets with Venice Commission President
Gianni Buquicchio, Strasbourg, April 11, 2019
In a surprise move, Justice Minister Rustam Badasian has asked the Venice
Commission of the Council of Europe to advise his government on its standoff
with Armenia’s Constitution Court.
Seven of the court’s nine judges installed by former Armenian governments have
faced strong pressure from Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s administration to
resign. Pashinian has accused them -- and Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr
Tovmasian in particular -- of maintaining ties to the “corrupt former regime”
and impeding judicial reforms.
Tovmasian and opposition figures have dismissed these claims, saying that
Pashinian is simply seeking to gain control over the country’s highest court.
Venice Commission President Gianni Buquicchio has repeatedly expressed serious
concern at the government’s “open conflict” with the Constitutional Court. “I
call again on all sides to exercise restraint and to de-escalate this worrying
situation in order to ensure the normal operation of the constitution of
Armenia,” he said in a February 3 statement that followed Pashinian’s renewed
verbal attacks on Tovmasian.
A few days later, Pashinian’s political team decided to hold a referendum on
April 5 on draft constitutional changes that would end the powers of Tovmasian
and the six other judges refusing to resign.
The two opposition parties represented in the Armenian parliament criticized the
proposed amendments, saying that they run counter to other articles of the
constitution. They also urged the authorities to send them to the Venice
Commission for examination.
Pashinian’s political allies countered, however, that the authorities are not
obliged to consult with the Council of Europe’s legal watchdog.
For his part, the prime minister implicitly criticized the Venice Commission on
February 20. He said the Strasbourg-based watchdog must answer “some questions”
raised by the Armenian authorities before it can scrutinize the constitutional
changes sought by them.
Armenia -- Justice Minister Rustam Badasian at a press conference, April 1, 2020.
The Armenian Justice Ministry announced late on Wednesday that Badasian has sent
to the Venice Commission “questions regarding the resolution of the ongoing
crisis over the Armenian Constitutional Court.”
A ministry statement did not specify those questions. It said they were
contained in a letter sent by the minister to Council of Europe Secretary
General Marija Pejcinovic Buric.
Badasian shed little light on the questions when he spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian
service on Thursday. He said only that the government is seeking European
“expert opinion” on existing constitutional provisions relating to the tenure of
Constitutional Court judges.
The appeal to Strasbourg came amid growing uncertainty about the conduct of the
referendum which was postponed when Pashinian’s government declared a state of
emergency on March 16 to contain the spread of coronavirus in Armenia.
Under Armenian law, no elections or referendums can be held during the state of
emergency. The government on Thursday extended it by another month, until June
13.
Badasian did not exclude that the authorities may eventually cancel the
referendum and try to end the “constitutional crisis” through the parliament
controlled by Pashinian’s My Step bloc. “No option can be ruled out given the
impact of coronavirus on all areas of life, and the holding of elections and
referendums obviously cannot be an exception,” he said.
Armenian Ministers Self-Isolate After Staffers Catch COVID-19
• Susan Badalian
Armenia -- Health Minister Arsen Torosian gives a press conference, April 10,
2020.
Armenia’s Health Minister Arsen Torosian and Minister for Local Government and
Infrastructures Suren Papikian have isolated themselves after officials from
their ministries tested positive for coronavirus.
Both men did not attend Thursday’s weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan during
which their self-isolations were first announced by Deputy Prime Minister Tigran
Avinian. There was no word on the number of infected ministry officials.
A spokeswoman for Papikian, Armine Muradian, said that he tested negative for
the virus on Wednesday. “The minister [Papikian] and other employees are in
self-isolation at the moment because of having been in contact with
[coronavirus] carriers,” she told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
Armenia -- Minister for Local Government Suren Papikian speaks at a news
conference in Yerevan, February 26, 2020.
“There are confirmed cases within the ministry [of health,] the circle of
[infected officials’] contacts has been ascertained, and epidemiological actions
are continuing,” said Torosian’s spokeswoman, Alina Nikoghosian. “That is why
Health Minister Arsen Torosian self-isolated and had a coronavirus test this
morning. We are now waiting for the result.”
Torosian announced later in the day that his test has come back negative. “I
have no symptoms,” he wrote on Facebook. “I will reduce my physical contacts to
almost zero in order not to harm anyone.”
Torosian found himself in hot water last week after a photograph of him sitting
in close proximity to other people at an open-air Yerevan café was widely
circulated on social media. Critics of the Armenian government said that the
health minister, who regularly urges citizens to practice social distancing and
issues warnings about grave consequences of the epidemic, set a bad example for
the country’s population.
Nikoghosian dismissed the criticism on May 7, arguing that the government
allowed cafes and restaurants with outdoor terraces to reopen on May 4. She said
that the minister simply held a working “discussion” with his deputies at the
café adjacent to the ministry building.
The Ministry of Health said on Thursday morning that the total number of
confirmed coronavirus cases in Armenia rose by 142 to 3,860 in the past 24
hours. The ministry also reported another fatality which brought the official
death toll from the disease to 49.
Citing the increased number of cases, Deputy Health Minister Lena Nanushian
acknowledged that the authorities are increasingly finding it impossible to
trace all people who have come into contact with those infected with the virus.
Nanushian also could not say whether Armenia has passed the peak of the COVID-19
epidemic.
Armenia Again Extends Coronavirus State Of Emergency
• Anush Mkrtchian
Armenia -- A police vehicle parked outside the Armenian government headquarters
at Yerevan's deserted Republic Square, March 25, 2020.
The government on Thursday extended a state of emergency in Armenia by another
month while lifting the last remaining restrictions on business activity which
were aimed at containing the coronavirus epidemic.
The state of emergency was declared on March 16. A few days later, the
government also issued stay-at-home orders and closed most nonessental
businesses. The lockdown was largely lifted by May 4 despite increased numbers
of new coronavirus cases reported by the Armenian health authorities on a daily
basis.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian insisted that the government still needs the
state of emergency in order to be able to quickly seal off local communities hit
by COVID-19 outbreaks and take other extraordinary measures against the virus.
He said it may also decide to re-impose lockdown restrictions if the spread of
the disease continues unabated.
“If it turns out that we have more than 1,500 [COVID-19] patients in need of
medical treatment [in hospital] -- and we are inevitably approaching that number
and will surpass it -- we will have no choice but to revert to the restrictions
regime,” Pashinian told a weekly cabinet meeting in Yerevan.
In his words, only some 600 of the more than 2,200 people presently infected
with the virus are showing major symptoms and treated in hospitals.
According to the Ministry of Health, the total number of confirmed coronavirus
cases in Armenia rose by 142 to 3,860 in the past 24 hours. The ministry also
reported another fatality which brought the official death toll from the disease
to 49.
The figure does not include the deaths of 21 other individuals infected with
COVID-19. The ministry claims that they died as a result of other, pre-existing
conditions.
Armenia -- Workers disinfect an ambulance outside Surp Girgor Lusavorich
hospital in Yerevan, April 8, 2020.
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian, the government’s “commandant” in charge of
enforcing emergency rule, announced later in the day that starting from May 25
the authorities will make it mandatory for everyone to wear a face mask in the
streets and other public spaces. “Those who violate the rule will be fined by
the police,” he told the Armenian parliament.
Armenians are currently required to wear masks as well as gloves only when
entering shops, banks and other businesses. There is ample evidence of
widespread non-compliance with this requirement.
Avinian also said that the government has decided to lift next Monday its ban on
public transport in Yerevan and other urban centers and to reopen kindergartens,
shopping malls, indoor restaurants and cafes and gyms. He made no mention of
schools and universities that were also shut down in March.
Pashinian has repeatedly stated in recent weeks that ordinary citizens must
share with their government “responsibility” for containing epidemic by
practicing physical distancing, not touching their faces with unwashed hands and
using only clean tableware. He again complained on Thursday that many of them
are still not taking coronavirus seriously.
The prime minister also stressed the importance of a “very strict” enforcement
of government restrictions by the Armenian police and other state bodies.
“We had a discussion with the police chief on this topic yesterday,” he said.
“Unfortunately, we are not sure that the restrictions that were previously
imposed by the office of the [state of emergency] commandant were enforced
strictly enough.”
Critics of the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis say the lax
enforcement is a key reason why the virus has continued to spread rapidly in the
country. They also say that the lockdown was all but lifted too soon.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
16:05,
YEREVAN, MAY 13, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of Parliament of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a video talk today with Speaker of Parliament of Sweden (Riksdag) Andreas Norlén, the Armenian Parliament told Armenpress.
Andreas Norlén thanked his Armenian counterpart for the letter addressed to him and stated that during the current situation caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic it’s necessary to keep contacts between the parliaments.
The officials exchanged information about the actions being taken in both countries against the virus.
At the request of his Swedish counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan introduced Armenia’s achievements in its reforms agenda.
The sides agreed to continue contacts in such format.
Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan