Author: Paul Hambardsumian

Unfortunately we utter words “never again” too often – Zohrab Mnatsakanyan

19:54,

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 10, ARMENPRESS. Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan delivered opening remarks at the session of the Third Global Forum Against Crime of Genocide.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan particularly said,

“Your Excellency President of Armenia, Mr. Armen Sarkissian,

Your grace Archbishop Natan Hovhannisyan,

Excellencies,

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends,

Many warm welcome to Armenia, 
Many warm welcome to the first morning post-election Armenia.

Welcome to the Third Global Forum. Welcome to Matenadaran, the institute and museum of ancient manuscripts, a monument of knowledge, idea, creation and education, a legacy of Armenia’s centuries-old contribution to world civilization and the bastion against the darker side of the human nature, against discrimination and hatred and intolerance – the very root causes of what we are gathered together to elaborate the ways to prevent.

Welcome also to Armenia at a time when the international community commemorates the 70th Anniversary of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. 72 years ago the UN adopted a landmark resolution 96/1, which was tabled by, at a time, India Cuba and Panama and which endorsed the term “genocide” and which opened the way for the subsequent adoption two years later, on 9th december in 1948, of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. It was obviously a day of triumph for one particular man, Raphael Lemkin, who dedicated his entire life to addressing this crime, which rattles the conscience of humanity – the crime of genocide.

Also welcome to Armenia on a day when the international community commemorates the 70th Anniversary of Universal Declaration of Human Rights which is exactly today. Again 70 years ago in 1948 great panel of experts have gathered to draft an important document, which became a foundation of what in subsequent seventy years have been the construction of the machinery of human rights protection globally, internationally. And again a good day to recognize and celebrate the legacy of those experts under the leadership of Eleanor Roosevelt and such prominent lawyers as Charles Malick, William Hutchison, Fernand Santa Cruz, John Humphrey, René Cassagne, Peng Chun Chang, Alexander Bogdanov․

Over the seventy years UN has been quite successful in building considerable foundations, considerable pillars to bring nations together to work against discrimination, against violations of human rights for the protection of human dignity and human rights. It took two world wars to recognize the devastation of human distraction, the distraction of human identity.

In seventy years we have both solid body of law and practical machinery of addressing collectively the issue of human rights. Twenty years ago Armenia initiated a process to take a level up the international cooperation, international effort to strengthen the concept of prevention against atrocities. At the time of the 50th anniversary of the Convention, Armenia tabled a resolution to remind the international community that there is such document, which is  still as relevant as ever and which requires recognition, effort, implementation, especially at the national level, the primary level of protection and promotion of human rights. Subsequently we have developed further the international soft law on prevention.

We have celebrated and supported the effort of UN Secretary General at a time in 2004 to create a special body within the United Nations. His ambitions were a bit higher but the members of the UN have lowered those ambitions unfortunately. We have what has been created as the Office of Special Adviser of the Secretary General for the Prevention of Genocide. I think we within the UN have created quite sound foundations of raising awareness of the risks of genocide in the international community and consolidating international efforts against this crime. And I particularly want to thank Mr. Adama Dieng for all his strong efforts in promoting this agenda.

In 2015 the UN adopted a resolution in the General Assembly to pronounce the 9th december as the international day of the commemoration and dignity of the victims of genocide and for the prevention of this crime. Since 2005 until 2018 we have been promoting the method of prevention against the crime of genocide and it’s an ongoing effort.

In 2015 Armenia made another contribution to this collective effort by way of establishing this very global forum. And I am so profoundly grateful to all of you for gathering today here in Armenia – a group of prominent scholars, prominent representatives of the academia, of the professionals of law, practitioners, to elaborate the method of prevention with a special focus on education.

Seventy years on, with the seventieth anniversary of the Convention we have been uttering the words “never again” unfortunately too often. The crime of genocide has not disappeared from the international agenda. The risks of Genocide have not disappeared from the international agenda. We live in a turbulent world, we live in a world of rising radicalism, populism, discrimination, intolerance. We live in a dangerous world where human rights are pushed in the backseat and this is very dangerous.

We know that in the era of rising social media and the proliferation of ideas – unfortunately it is a channel of all ideas including those who cultivate intolerance, discrimination, glorification of hatred – that is a challenge. Challenge at the national, regional, international level. This is the idea of the Third Global Forum today.

I am very keen to see an outcome, a generation of ideas and thoughts about the ways in which we can benefit from these discussions over the next two days, and take it up a level and bring in to the agenda within the UN, at regional level and at national levels, so that we can contribute in further institutional strengthening of our capacity to resist genocidal tendencies which cultivate the risks of mass atrocities.

Once again I welcome you very much to this Third Global Forum․ I look forward for the fruitful discussion and practical outcomes of this conference.

Thank you”.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

ArmInfo. Another "interception" appeared in the network, this time of a telephone  conversation between the head of the National Security Service of  Armenia Artur Vanetsyan and Acting Prime Minister Nikol  Pashinyan.According to the "tapping", Vaniecian calls Pashinyan and  reports to him that the head of the Special Investigation Service  Sasun Khachatryan wants to arrest the CSTO Secretary General Yuri  Khachaturov in the case of March 1, 2008. At the same time, he is  concerned that this may arise problems with "Russians".

To this, Pashinyan asks: "When? When exactly does he want to arrest  Khachaturov." Vanetsyan responds: "Now," – adding that for the time  being it is possible to postpone the interrogation of Khachaturov, to  complete the interrogation of the second President of the Republic of  Armenia Robert Kocharyan in the framework of the same case: "Let's  still postpone", asks Vanetzian. To which Pashinyan gives a positive  answer, adding that it is necessary to notify in advance (probably  the CSTO member countries, ed.) So that there are no problems."And  what about the other part?"

Pashinyan asks. "On the other part I have  already spoken with Sasun (head of the SSS, ed.), He says that  everything is accurate. But the judge called me, who said he was  somewhat afraid to make a decision on arrest. I told him that I need  to carefully examine the issue , see where the weaknesses are and  report back to me, "says Vaniecian. "Well, then let them postpone the  first part (the case of Khachaturov, ed.), I'm right here, I will  talk to them," says Pashinyan. Vanetzian says that in this case  Kocharyan will be arrested, and with Khachaturov they will  wait.During Vanetsyan's second conversation with Pashinyan, the  acting premier is at the meeting and you can hardly hear: "I am at  the meeting, Arthur, what happened?" "Mr. Prime Minister" Russian  very "hard" endure the arrest of Khachaturov. Representatives and  intelligence and FSB came, they say do not do it. They say that this  is a big slap in the CSTO, the consequences will be grave, they ask  at least to withdraw it first, and then: ""What about the Kocharyan  case?" Pashinyan wondered.

"As for Kocharyan, the case is going on in  court, but Kocharyan will be there," says Vaniecian.Then it comes  back to Khachaturov and Pashinyan is concerned that he may leave the  country and not return if he is not arrested. But Vaniecian is  encouraging, saying that their countries simply will not let him out.  "Let's give him status within the framework of the case, but we will  not arrest him, this will be a big problem. What to do if it is  possible to keep and not arrest, what to do? Mr. Prime Minister,  well, a very big problem, how, for example, arrest NATO Secretary  General "We are undermining the authority of this organization,"  argues Vanetsyan."Okay, talk to Sasun (head of the SIS), and I'll  call you later," notes Pashinyan.The third conversation takes place  between the heads of the  SIS and the National Security Service.  Vanetsyan again says that the Russians are very "hard" to tolerate  the possible arrest of Khachaturov. "There may be serious problems, I  just told the prime minister about this.  The heads of Russian  intelligence and the FSB have just called me and they say that you  are creating there," says Vanetsyan.Sasun Khachatryan asks what to do  in this case, he can use bail as a preventive measure.

"A pledge or a  written undertaking not to leave the place," suggests Vancian.  Khachatryan thinks that the pledge will be correct: "Let there be a  big pledge, so as not to cast doubt on the basis of the case. And  what to do, talk to the judge?" Khachatryan asks, to which Vanetsyan  replies that everything the judge needs will be said . At the same  time, Vanetsyan doubts that Khachaturov can pay a large bail: "Where  does he have so much money?"

"And what will 20 million drams not be able to  pay?" – asks Khachatryan. Nevertheless, Vanetsyan persuades him to  delay with the decision until he speaks again with the Prime  Minister. "I'll tell the judge to delay the decision, or if you want,  tell me," suggests Vanetsyan, however Khachatryan places this  perspective on the head of the National Security Service.It is  noteworthy that Vanetsyan's telephone conversation was tapped while  he was in Switzerland.It should be noted that on September 11, the  first part of the recording of the wiretap of the telephone  conversation between the Director of the National Security Service of  Armenia Artur Vanetsyan and the Head of the Special Investigation  Service Sasun Khachatryan appeared in the network. During the  8-minute conversation, they are discussing the arrest of ex-President  of Armenia Robert Kocharian, as well as criminal cases initiated  against CSTO Secretary General Yuri Khachaturov and former Defense  Minister Mikayel Harutyunyan. During the conversation, Vaniecian  confesses: "It seemed to me that the judge who should give the  sentence of arrest called Hrach: He was scared, he said that he had  to see all the grounds before rendering a verdict.

I told him – look at the whole thing, Armenian with the spirit – Ed.) Look,  but Kocharyan should be arrested anyway. "After that, on Facebook,  Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan stated that, perhaps, the  purpose of the interception was political sabotage. Already in the  evening, Nikol Pashinyan said at a rally within the framework of the  election campaign to the Council of Elders of Yerevan that  interception of the heads of the special services was a conspiracy, a  crime against the Armenian statehood. Judge Vache Margaryan himself  stated that he was not acquainted with Vanetsyan and could not call  him.On September 12, the Investigative Committee (IC) of Armenia  accepted into criminal proceedings a criminal case initiated by the  Office for Supervision over the investigation of particularly  important cases of the RA Prosecutor General's Office regarding the  violation of the secrecy of the telephone conversation, recording and  publication of the audio recording. The case was initiated under Part  1 of Art. 146 of the RA Criminal Code and paragraph 4 of part 3 of  Article 254 of the RA Criminal Code. The preliminary investigation is  entrusted to the General Directorate for Investigation of Especially  Important Cases of the Investigative Body.

An investigation team has  been set up and, together with the investigative bodies, the  necessary actions are taken to clarify all the circumstances of the  case, as well as to establish the circle of persons who have  committed the alleged crime. On September 13, the General  Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Armenia on violation of the  secrecy of the telephone conversation, recording and publicizing the  audio recording between the Director of the National Security Service  (NSS) of Armenia Artur Vanetsyan and the Chairman of the Special  Investigation Service (SSS) of Armenia Sasun Khachatryan launched a  new criminal case – under Part 1 of Article . 309 of the RA Criminal  Code (abuse of power).

On the same day, a decision was made in the  National Assembly of Armenia to establish a temporary commission on  the fact of obstructing the administration of justice, violation of  the right to a fair trial and telephone conversation secrets.