Sefilian: Delay in negotiations over Erebuni police station seizure ex

[Yervant1]

Toronto Star, Canada
July 30 2016


75 injured in clashes with riot police in Armenia, 26 detained

Clashes broke out late Friday after several hundred people tried to
approach the Yerevan police station, where there have been exchanges
of fire since the armed takeover.

By Avet Demourian
Associated Press

YEREVAN, ARMENIA—Clashes between riot police and supporters of gunmen
from an opposition group barricaded inside a police station in
Armenia’s capital left 75 people injured and more than 20 in custody
on charges related to the unrest, officials said Saturday.

The clashes broke out late Friday when several hundred people tried to
approach the Yerevan police station, which is cordoned off by security
forces and where there have been periodic exchanges of fire since the
armed takeover.

The police station was seized on July 17 by about 30 gunmen, who
killed one officer and wounded several others in the attack. They are
demanding freedom for an opposition figure arrested in June in the
former Soviet republic. The opposition group they represent also has
demanded that Armenia’s president and prime minister step down.

Eight of the gunmen have been wounded since the takeover, including
three shot in the legs on Friday, apparently by snipers.

Police also used stun grenades to drive back the opposition
supporters, some of whom threw stones at the rows of riot police
blocking their path.

The Health Ministry said 75 people needed medical treatment and 25 of
them remained hospitalized Saturday, including six law enforcement
officers. Some of those injured were suffering from burns.

Journalists, including from Radio Liberty, reported being attacked and
beaten by men armed with sticks and metal bars who appeared to be
plainclothes police officers. Prosecutors on Saturday promised to
investigate.

Police said 165 people were rounded up during the demonstration and
all but 26 were released. The investigative agency said charges have
been filed against 23 people.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__www.thestar.com_news_world_2016_07_30_75-2Dinjured-2Din-2Dclashes-2Dwith-2Driot-2Dpolice-2Din-2Darmenia-2D26-2Ddetained.html&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=QjyzgSVP3TSyB1sn4ZoCPGic4h7WDMKoDIkc9l1nvvM&s=CR2WDcAqwIt23BCNmLcItftfx5PbjLwDAEMjC3JYwsg&e=

[Yervant1]

Serj Tankian: We can no longer see our homeland downtrodden and depopulated on our watch

• by Marianna Mkrtchyan

• Sunday, July 31, 12:17

http://www.arminfo.am/images/StandardImage/serj_tankyan2.jpg

Serj Tankian, world known US rock musician of Armenian descent, has posted a statement on his Facebook page expressing his thoughts on the standoff in Armenia and the associated political undercurrents:

''Most people around the world are confused as to why the takeover of a police station has caused what seems to be an irreparable rift between a segment of Armenia's populace and the authorities.

Years of issue-based

peaceful protests,

Unending systematic corruption including the perceived corruption surrounding the proper arming of the NK defense forces, judicial inequality, police brutality, rigged elections, foreign intervention, lack of Economic opportunities, And the resulting national depopulation have created a powder keg of frustration against the ruling gov't of President Serzh Sarkissian.

Whatever happens in the next 24 hours with the Sasna Dzrer armed group at the police station, these are the resulting political truths:

1) Voter fraud, ballot stuffing and stolen elections starting with the Parliamentary elections in 2017 will no longer be met with apathy but with the full force of the Armenian populace. Only the irresponsible, inequitable programs and reactions of the government can create a revolution in Armenia. This means we all need to further strengthen civic society in the country and beef up the monitoring efforts of upcoming elections with international media presence and full transparency.

2) "We don't want to be the bitch of any superpower". One thing we learned from the protests in the past were how foreign powers were interested in using them as political tools for their own interests. We need to diplomatically shift away from unipolar geopolitics to one that sees everything in the interests of our homeland.

3) The Armenian Diaspora can no longer afford to just be a checkbook to Armenia but will be forced to organize to become "the checks and balances" we desperately need within the country. The Diasporan silence over injustices within the country over the last few decades has made our country worst, not better. There is no excuse for the further disconnect.

4) We can no longer expect to be "saved" by a leader or a President.

We shouldn't require demagogues or idols. Our will and future discourse needs to be forged in collusion with all Armenians. That means public forums leading to real democracy.

5) We are not Erdogan's Turkey: violence or imprisonment of journalists will not be tolerated. It's in our cultural heritage to speak openly and loudly and we deserve it after 600 years of Ottoman oppression. Going after journalists is a sign of weakness by the government in any country.

6) The police chief and mayor of Yerevan should resign based on how the situation has been handled by Yerevan's police. Re-training of the forces would also be recommended. Policemen who feel that people are being arrested without due cause should resist following their orders in lieu of hurting their people.

7) Non-violence: as frustrated as people are with the ruling elites, they should not hurl violence at police officers or anyone else. Most of these officers are our sons and daughters and are no more guilty of personal subservience to injustice than ourselves even if they are following the orders of the government. No one deserves violence. A country with a literacy rate of 90% like Armenia must not have mob rule.

The president and Armenian leadership must show leadership and de-escalate the situation immediately with concessions and reason at its core and realize all of this is not due to a standard hostage takeover but embodies the imbalance of their rule.

We can no longer see our homeland downtrodden and depopulated on our watch. The course of history is changed by action not apathy'', the statement reads.

http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=E5F93AE0-56EE-11E6-AC240EB7C0D21663

[Yervant1]

Yeghishe Petrosyan is also arrested. He is in hospital but taken into custody

11:10 | July 31 2016

http://en.aravot.am/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/07/Yeghishe-Petrosyan.jpg

Yeghishe Petrosyan, founder of “Ardzagank” studio is arrested. Yeghishe Petrosyan is suspected of organizing mass riots.

Despite the investigator’s decision to arrest him, Yeghishe Petrosyan was moved to “Astghik”Medical Center due to his serious health problems and received medical care being taken in custody.

In an interview with Aravot.am, his lawyer Lusine Sahakyan confirmed the information and said that no accusations are filed against his client. Today, Yeghishe Petrosyan was moved to the hospital on the ambulance car. The doctors have said that he needs a hospital treatment. In addition to being under the control of the doctors, he is also under control of police officers in the hospital. Yeghishe Petrosyan was one of the active participants in the rallies in recent days and also a member of the “Anti-crises Initiative Council” supporting the “Sasna Tsrer” armed group.

Lusine BUDAGHYAN

http://en.aravot.am/2016/07/31/179478/

[Yervant1]

Just thinking out loud! Is it possible that the police was killed by police, in order to storm the station?

[onjig]

Yes, and it's possible that those wounded inside the station wounded themselves also, but not likely.

 

This looks really bad and looks like it's going to get worse before it gets better.

 

When is the next presidential election?

[Yervant1]

• 
  
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  A riot police officer installs barbed wire as others block the street towards the Presidential Residence to prevent a march of anti-government protesters, supporters of the armed group who have been holed inside a police station, in Yerevan, Armenia, Saturday, July 30, 2016. Armed members of an opposition group barricaded inside a police station in Armenia's capital shot an officer dead on Saturday, police said. (Hrant Khachatryan/PAN Photo via AP) (The Associated Press)

  
  

  
  
  
  
  

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YEREVAN, Armenia – Armed members of an opposition group barricaded inside a police station in Armenia's capital have denied killing a police officer.

Varuzhan Avetisyan, a leading member of the group, said Sunday that police were wrong in accusing them of shooting the officer on Saturday, a killing that came amid heightened tensions in the two-week standoff.

Police said the officer was in a vehicle 400 meters (yards) from the station when he was hit by sniper fire.

The group of about 30 gunmen killed one officer and wounded several others when seizing the Yerevan police station on July 17 to demand freedom for their leader, who was arrested in June.

Security forces have since wounded eight of the gunmen, including three shot in the legs on Friday, apparently by sniper fire.

[Yervant1]

Gunmen in Armenia Surrender After 2-Week Standoff With Police

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

JULY 31, 2016

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YEREVAN, Armenia — All 20 gunmen inside a police compound in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, surrendered on Sunday, ending a two-week standoff that left two police officers dead and several people wounded on both sides, the security service said.

The standoff, involving armed members of a radical opposition group, also set off protests that led to unrest in the capital.

The leader of the gunmen, Varuzhan Avetisyan, said in a phone interview with local news outlets that they had decided to surrender after security forces used armored vehicles to enter the police compound.

Another factor, Mr. Avetisyan said, was that the police had started to shoot gunmen who ventured outside. Most were hit in the leg, but a man was shot in the chest on Sunday, he said.

A total of 31 armed men seized the police compound on July 17 to demand freedom for the leader of the opposition group, who was arrested in June. The group, Founding Parliament, has criticized the government and called for people to take to the streets to force the president and the prime minister to step down.

Several thousand people joined nightly rallies to support the gunmen, occasionally clashing with the police. Some of the worst violence took place Friday, when 75 people were injured.

In recent days, four members of the group had surrendered, including two earlier on Sunday, and at least seven were wounded.

Mr. Avetisyan said the security forces had tried to storm the compound on Saturday night and used a vehicle to smash a wall, but then retreated. On Sunday, “there was intense shooting, stun grenades exploded, and armored vehicles entered the territory,” he said.

The gunmen surrendered to avoid heavy losses on both sides, he said.

In the initial attack, the gunmen killed one officer and wounded several others. The police accused them of killing a second officer on Saturday in a vehicle away from the compound, but Mr. Avetisyan denied it.

The gunmen had held four police officers hostage for a week before releasing them unharmed. They later seized four members of an ambulance crew, but freed the last two on Saturday.

On Saturday night, demonstrators marched down Baghramyan Avenue toward the main government buildings and the presidential residence, but they were stopped by the riot police, who strung coils of barbed wire across the road. The demonstrators blocked traffic for two hours but dispersed peacefully early Sunday.

[Yervant1]

Member of Sasna Dzrer armed group shot in his chest

15:30 | July 31,2016 | Politics

The Founding Parliament opposition movement reports that Sedrak (Seto) Nazaryan, one of the members of the Sasna Dzrer armed group, was wounded to his chest in the area of a Yerevan police compound the group has been occupying for already two weeks.

The information was later confirmed by the Spokesman for the Armenian Police, Ashot Aharonyan, who said in a Facebook post that Sedrak Nazaryan had been taken to hospital with a gunshot wound and had been provided with proper medical assistance.

http://en.a1plus.am/1243228.html

[Yervant1]

07.31.2016 11:36 epress.am

Armenian Armed Group Insist They Had Nothing to Do with Killing of Policeman

Varuzhan Avetisyan, one of the leaders of “Daredevils of Sasun” armed group who’ve been occupying a Yerevan police station for more than a week, announced Sunday morning in conversation with 1in.am that the gunmen had nothing to do withyesterday’s killing of a police officer.

Police spokesperson Ashot Aharonyan wrote on Facebook Saturday evening that 30-year-old officer of police forces Yuri Tepanosyan was shot by a sniper while sitting in a car parked some 400 meters from the seized building. Aharonyan claimed that the fire had come from the occupied territory; Avetisyan, meanwhile, insisted today that this spot is out of the group’s sight and therefore the officer “must have been killed by a police sniper.”

“I’m not saying it was intentional, but I can assure that we [did not kill Tepanosyan,” the group leader said.

Avetisyan added that all four members of the ambulance crew, who on Wednesday entered the station to treat wounded gunmen and were not allowed to leave, have already been let go. "They were not hostages; there was no control over them and they had been told they were free to leave whenever they wanted. And [the two remaining medics] did so yesterday," the gunman said.

http://www.epress.am/en/2016/07/31/armenian-armed-group-insist-they-had-nothing-to-do-with-killing-of-policeman.html

[Yervant1]

Daredevils of Sasoun group members going to lay down their arms

• by Naira Badalyan

• Sunday, July 31, 22:05

http://www.arminfo.am/images/StandardImage/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%B7-%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8-12733.jpg

Members of Daredevils of Sasoun - the armed group that seized the police compound about two weeks ago demanding resignation of the president and release of their jailed opposition leader Jirayr Sefilyan – are going to lay down their arms and leave the seized territory.

Leader of the group Varuzhan Avetisyan made such statement without providing any details.

Activists of the Coordination Council have just declared addressing the protesters in the Liberty Square that 11 members of the group agreed to lay down their arms subject to the fulfillment of a number of their demands. The activists did not specify what demands they were speaking about.

Albert Baghdasaryan, the activist of the Coordination Council said the group agreed to lay down arms to prevent bloodshed, which does not mean however that they refuse from their demands made earlier.

http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=FF6A9F80-5740-11E6-AC240EB7C0D21663

[Yervant1]

Armenia gunmen surrender after seizing police station

BBC

31/716

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Image copyrightAPImage captionSupporters of the armed group marched through Yerevan on Saturday

About 20 armed men who seized a police station in the Armenian capital, Yerevan, have surrendered, police say.

The men seized the building nearly two weeks ago seeking the release of "political prisoners" including opposition leader Jirair Sefilian.

A police officer was shot dead from inside the police station during the stand-off on Saturday.

The shooting came as police issued a deadline for the anti-government group to surrender.

When the deadline passed, thousands of protesters again took to the streets in support of the group.

The Interfax news service said all of those inside the police station had now been detained.

Mr Sefilian, a former military commander, has criticised the government's handling of the long-running conflict involving pro-Armenian separatists in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Image copyrightAFPImage captionThe group seized the police station in Yerevan two weeks ago

Police issued an ultimatum to the group to surrender following violent scenes late on Friday when police with truncheons and stun grenades clashed with protesters.

About 60 people were injured, including some journalists, and more than 100 arrests were reported..

Three gunmen were also wounded on Friday, apparently shot in the legs by police snipers. Two of them were escorted to hospital under armed guard.

Media captionFootage shows riot police and protesters in the Armenian capital, Yerevan

The group seized the police station on 17 July, killing one policeman and taking several hostages.

They released a video demanding the release of Mr Sefilian and a number of others, and urging supporters on to the streets.

The CivilNet newspaper identified the group as the Daredevils of Sassoun.

The group had said it would retaliate if attacked.

Nagorno-Karabakh lies within Azerbaijan but has an ethnic Armenian majority. A bloody war erupted after the end of Soviet rule in 1988, and there has been frequent unrest since, the latest in April, when clashes left dozens dead.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-36937346

[Yervant1]

 

Varuzhan Avetisyan makes a statement: “We chose a status of POW”: 1in.am (video)

• 21:00 | July 31,2016 | Politics

• Հայ

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Varuzhan Avetisyan, one of the leaders of the Sasna Dzrer armed group barricaded inside a Yerevan police station which they seized two weeks ago, has made a statement saying in the recent days the Armenian Police has adopted tactics of neutralizing his comrades.

In a telephone conversation with 1in.am news agency, Varuzhan Avetisyan said the police are neutralizing his friends by shooting them in the legs.

“Today a sniper shot our friend in his chest. We have significantly reduced in number becoming around 20. There was a storm at night, the wall was struck by car, which then stopped, and for some reasons we began negotiations. The intensive shots were heard today, stun bombs were used, armored vehicles broke into the area.

We have two options, to fight against the police and other officers shedding blood of the people who have little to do with the regime. The other option is to refrain from bloodshed and remain in a status of a prisoner of war, the status of a POW was a difficult decision for us.

The uprising of the people took place, there is a nationwide movement, for not sustaining new victims, people, who fulfill their obligations, are in front of us, so we have decided that we don’t want to spill their blood; we continue struggling as POWs; the people’s uprising continues, our people must struggle, we will not allow our country to become a province of Russia. We feel that the victory is close; we call on the people to consider the decision to be a positive step.”

https://youtu.be/g_MK3GeyfWg

http://en.a1plus.am/1243240.html

[Yervant1]

Varuzhan Avetisyan: We did not kill policeman

22:32, 31.07.2016

YEREVAN. – Varuzhan Avetisyan, a member of the armed group Sasna Tsrer said that it was not the members of the group who killed the policeman Yuri Tepanosyan.

“I declare with all responsibility that it was not us who killed the police officer. That area is even not visible for us. In all likelihood, he was killed by one of the chaotic shots of their own snipers. I do not want to say that this was done deliberately, but I can say for certain that it was not us who did it,” said Avetisyan.

In its turn, the police issued a statement that Yuri Tepanosyan, born in 1986, was killed by “a sniper's bullet, fired from the territory of the captured regiment.

http://news.am/eng/news/339824.html

[Yervant1]

Crowd in Yerevan’s Liberty Square doesn’t want to disperse, spontaneous march kicks off

21:42, 31.07.2016

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YEREVAN. - The crowd gathered in Yerevan’s Liberty Square didn’t want to disperse upon hearing the news on the surrender of the Sasna Tsrer armed group.

The situation in the square is tense; people are arguing with each other, Armenian News - NEWS.amcorrespondent reports.

The leader of the rally Tigran Khzmalyan announced: “We record our first interim victory and are moving to political processes.” After his speech, Khzmalyan switched off the microphone, announcing that they will gather tomorrow at 7:30 pm.

Several people wanted to deliver a speech, to which Khzmalyan announced: “We will not allow chekists close.”

Certain people among the crowd expressed dissatisfaction with Khzmalyan. Others got up on the stage, but were not able to make speech. Heated debates and discussions are continuing.

Another large group has launched a spontaneous march along Yerevan streets in support of Sansa Tsrer.

http://news.am/eng/news/339880.html

[Yervant1]

Forecast: Major battles of Armenian people are yet to come

• by Anzhela Stepanyan

• Monday, August 1, 15:38

http://www.arminfo.am/images/StandardImage/Arman-Melikyan-021.jpg

Former foreign minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, independent political analyst Arman Melikyan is sure that the major battles of the Armenian people are yet to come.

Talking to ArmInfo, Melikyan said that the events that happened in Yerevan in the period from July 17 to 31 were not senseless and will have consequences. Expressing his deep condolences to the families of the people that were killed or injured during those days, Melikyan said he respects the decisiveness of the Armenian people to fight for justice.

The political analyst is sure that in the near future when the Armenian people will be fighting its major battles, the people and the law-enforcers will find themselves on the one side of the barricades. Melikyan urged the authorities to set free the arrested composer Yeghishe Petrosyan, political analyst Andrias Ghukasyan and all those people that did their utmost to prevent bloodshed, as well as those who were jailed earlier for their political views.

He blamed the authorities for criminalizing the actions of those people, which, as he thinks, will spark more protests.

Earlier, the Police released a video showing the surrender of the members of the Daredevils of Sasoun who seized the police compound two weeks ago demanding resignation of the president and release of political prisoners. The group members were surrendering to the police one after another, with the process being brokered by General Vitaly Balasyan.

http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=1B237290-57D4-11E6-8ECB0EB7C0D21663

[Yervant1]

Expert: Armenian authorities’ silence about Yerevan events is a proof of all-out political crisis

16:16, 01.08.2016

Region:Armenia
Theme: Politics

http://news.am/img/news/33/99/59/default.jpg

YEREVAN. – Armenian authorities’ silence on the seizure of police station displays all-out political crisis, political analyst Ruben Mehrabyan said.

The expert believes that the surrender of the armed group is the best option. Nevertheless, one should not think that we have overcome the crisis. On the contrary the country sank into a political crisis.

“We are dealing with a total political crisis. The recent week showed that government bodies cannot respond adequately to any event,” Mehrabyan said.

Both the government and parliament are silent, he said. The MPs enjoy their summer vacation, and it turned they had nothing to say about the armed clashes in the capital.

“So, we have a dead parliament,” the analyst added.

http://news.am/eng/news/339959.html

[Yervant1]

ACA Condemns the Violent Perpetrated the Armenian People - Urges the State Department to Suspend Cooperation and Assistance to Armenia's Police

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17:49, August 1, 2016

Statement of the Armenian Council of America

The Armenian Council of America strongly condemns the violent actions perpetrated by the Armenian police and unidentified gangs in civilian clothes not only against Armenian Citizens exercising their right to freedom of speech and assembly, but also journalists engaged in their professional work. This unprecedented level of police brutality against peaceful and unarmed protesters is more fitting to a repressive regime rather than a democratic country

We demand that the Armenian police immediately cease all illegal activities against the citizens and urge the authorities to launch an investigation into the actions of those who gave the orders and executed the crackdown on the unarmed protesters.

Furthermore, the Armenian Council of America urges the State Department to suspend any cooperation with or assistance to the Police of the Republic of Armenia until such time when the Armenian authorities hold those officials and senior police officers who were, either directly or indirectly, responsible for such deplorable acts by their subordinates.

As a US based Armenian organization that strives to see our ancestral homeland become a beacon of democracy in the region, we expect the Armenian Government and all its branches to respect the basic human rights of its citizenry and uphold the tenets of universal principles of democracy.

http://hetq.am/eng/news/69658/aca-condemns-the-violent-perpetrated-the-armenian-people---urges-the-state-department-to-suspend-cooperation-and-assistance-to-armenias-police.html

[Yervant1]

Diaspora collects $16 thousand in one night to assist family of Arayik Khandoyan

• by Naira Badalyan

• Monday, August 1, 20:30

http://www.arminfo.am/images/StandardImage/%D0%91%D0%B5%D0%B7-%D0%B8%D0%BC%D0%B5%D0%BD%D0%B8-12746.jpg

16 thousand USD were collected in one night via Gofundme.com as assistance to family of one of the members of Daredevils of Sasoun Arayik Khandoyan. Around 350 people have already donated and the data is being updated each minute.

To note, the campaign started after information was spread by mass media about difficult social conditions in which Khandoyan's family live. Khandoyan has five children, who live in difficult conditions and are engaged in farming. The youngest son Ararat Khandoyan has undergone several complex surgeries after being wounded in Karabakh war has been detained and is accused of organizing mass unrest.

Arayik Khandoyan was wounded in his leg in shooting with police after the seizure of the police compound, however he refused from medical aid. Currently Khandoyan is in detention facility with the rest members of Daredevils of Sasoun, who surrendered yesterday.

To note, actions of Daredevils of Sasoun got mass support not only in Armenia but in Diaspora as well. In many countries, where there are Armenian communities, demonstrations in support to Daredevils of Sasoun were held.

http://www.arminfo.am/index.cfm?objectid=D44C3CC0-57FC-11E6-8ECB0EB7C0D21663

[Yervant1]

I hope the Government of Armenia in particular the President, learned something from this incident and listens to the people. Who knows what will happen next?

[Yervant1]

http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/themes/54891eb401925b1cd3000001/attachments/original/1418272724/email-Portantino-banner.jpg

Portantino Statement on Recent Events in Armenia

 

http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/teamportantino/mailings/276/attachments/original/IMG_1793.JPG?1470086426Several weeks ago, I left a peaceful and hopeful Armenia beaming with good people brimming with optimism, pride and a positive national spirit. Everywhere I went from Gyumri to Stepanakert to downtown Yerevan townspeople and city dwellers were engaged by the inspiration and humility of Pope Francis and their own national identity and sense of purpose. I came home touched and moved by the overwhelming positive experience. Today, I watch in sadness and disappointment at the video footage and news accounts of the same Yerevan and country sides.

http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/teamportantino/mailings/276/attachments/original/IMG_8167.JPG?1470086442 Places now beset by brutality toward peaceful protestors and the loss of due process rights and the fundamental democratic right to enjoy free _expression_. Passionate debate, political disagreement and the purpose to make a better and prosperous country is being shunned. It's as if the hope I witnessed firsthand is purposely being replaced by fear.It is very sad and disturbing to me after such a wonderful experience in a bright nation. I feel the need to add my personal _expression_ of hope for the violence to end and a personal call for the peaceful protests to be embraced and respected as they should be in every democratic nation.

 

http://d3n8a8pro7vhmx.cloudfront.net/teamportantino/mailings/276/attachments/original/ANTHONY_SIG.jpg?1465263284

Anthony

[Yervant1]

Օրվա լուրՕգոստոս 01, 2016 20:35

Ինչի մասին է խոսում Սերժ Սարգսյանը և ինչ է պետք անել

http://www.groong.com/news/attachments/msg582446/png9egUFCkooU.png

Սերժ Սարգսյանն այսօր Բաղրամյան 26–ում էր հավաքել իր ենթականերին։ Նա անդրադարձել է վերջին օրերին տեղի ունեցած դեպքերին և ներկայացրել իր եզրակացությունը։

«Զենքով և բռնությամբ Հայաստանում հարցեր չեն լուծվելու,– նշել է Սարգսյանը, ապա ավելացրել,– Իշխանությունները կգան ու կգնան, ահաբեկչության խրախուսումը քաղցկեղի պես կմնա ու կտարածվի, կոչնչացնի մեր ժողովրդի կողմից ստեղծած ամեն ինչ»:

Գնահատականները ճիշտ են, բայց ո՞վ է այն ներկայացնում։

Սարգսյանը միայն զենքով ու բռնությամբ է հարց լուծել և եկել իշխանության։ Ահաբեկումը նույնպես այս իշխանության հիմնական գործիքակազմերից է։

Ահաբեկչություն չէ՞ տոկոս «խփելը», ընտրական իրավունքի բռնաբարումը, տնտեսությունը մեկի ձեռքում կենտրոնացնելը, սեփական թիմակիցների (լիսկաների) համար անպատժելիության պայմաններ ապահովելը, ոստիկանությանը խաղաղ ցուցարարների դեմ հանելը, բյուջեն ատկատահան անելը, բանակը խարդավանքների միջոցով թուլացնելը, մեր երկրի պարտքը քառապատկելը, աղքատությունն ավելացնելը, արտագաղթի համար նպաստավոր պայմաններ ստեղծելը։

Սարգսյանի նախագահության շրջանում ստեղծվել է «Գեբելսյան» քարոզչամեքենա, որը ամեն օրտեղեկատվական ահաբեկչության է ենթարկում հանրությանը՝ սուտ ու կեղծիք տարածելով, իրականությունը խեղաթյուրելով, քաղաքական դաշտը լղոզելով։

Յուրօրինակ ահաբեկչություն է նաև քաղաքական դաշտի մեծ մասի հաճախորդացումն ու Հայաստանը միջազգային հզորների ձեռքում մանրադրամ սարքելը։

Իրականությունն այն է, որ Սարգսյանն իր գործունեությամբ, ցմահ իշխելու ցանկությամբ ու ագահությամբ ծնել է զենքի օգնությամբ վիճակ փոխելու համոզմունք, ինչն, անշուշտ, վտանգավոր է մեր պետության համար։ Հարց է առաջանում՝ ո՞վ է մեղավոր այս ամենի համար։ Պատասխանն ակնհայտ է՝ իշխանությունն ուզուրպացրած ՀՀԿ ղեկավարը։ Հետևաբար՝ բուն պատճառները թողած այլ բաներից խոսելը հարցի լուծում չէ։

Ինչ վերաբերում է արվելիք քայլերին, ապա Սարգսյանը հայտարարել է, որ Սահմանադրությունն իրենք փոխել են, որպես ազգային համաձայնության իշխանություն ձևավորվի։ Այսինքն՝ ստացվում է, որ հանրաքվեն կեղծել են լավ նպատակով։ Բայց չէ՞ որ այդպես չի լինում։

Սարգսյանը վստահաբար պնդում է, որ ամիսներ անց (երևի նկատի ունի ԱԺ ընտրությունների արդյունքում) ազգային համաձայնության կառավարություն է ձևավորվելու, սակայն փորձը ցույց է տալիս, որ նրա ասածները ճիշտ հակառակ բանն են ենթադրում։ Եվ ուրեմն, ազգային համաձայնության նոր իշխանությունը պետք է ձևավորվի ոչ թե իշխանական պալատից հնչած խոստմամբ, այլ հանրության ջանքերով։ Իսկ դա նշանակում է, որ առաջիկա համապետական ընտրությունների ժամանակ պետք է հասնել իշխանափոխության։ Միայն նոր որակի իշխանությունը կկարողանա երկիրը դուրս բերել այս վիճակից։ Սարգսյանն այս վիճակը փոխող չէ։ Եթե փոխի էլ, ապա միայն դեպի վատը։ Նման շռայլություն հայ ժողովուրդը չի կարող իրեն թույլ տալ։

Կորյուն Մանուկյան

http://www.7or.am/am/news/view/110931/

[Yervant1]

“Sober up, unless you have destroyed yourself, and it would not be a pity if the country was not destroyed along with you.” Ginosyan

20:00 | August 1 2016

http://en.aravot.am/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2016/08/Gagik-Ginosyan-1.jpg

“Too bad for these guys … let’s hope that they will not be broken and become wicked. There are wonderful people among them whom I know” – Gagik Ginosyan, Artistic Director of Folk Dance, also an Artsakh war veteran, in an interview with Aravot.am, referring to the fact of the surrender of “Sasna Tsrer” group to the authorities. In his words, the problems available in the justice system cannot but reflect the upcoming trial of “Sasna Tsrer” case, “The police lawlessness continues for as a result of the incidents registered during the protests against the electricity price hike in Baghramyan Avenue, no police officer was exposed to accountability and no lawsuit entered the court. This speaks of the fact to what extent we can expect justice now.”

Ginosyan added that the incidents in Khorenatsi Street and Sari Tagh area are also the consequence of impunity when the police used violence and special measures against the citizens, “Naturally, the police officer knew that he is unpunished and has an owner while the people are ownerless. This was a revolt of ownerless against the owners who, unfortunately, are not their owners… Let’s assume, the guys are guilty, so what is the guilt of the protester? And if they are terrorists, then in what country people rise to encourage terrorists. Hence, there is so much lawlessness and illegality that they revolt as a support to the terrorists in quotation marks.”

Gagik Ginosyan wished people to be discreet at this stage and consistent to protect their rights, not allowing the cup to be full and similar protests organized. He also called on the authorities to love and protect people, not to suppress and make the country dictatorial, “We are slaves in the hands of some countries because we are not protected by our people. If we stand for our people, no country can enslave our authorities who are already enslaved.”

Note that in the interview with us, Ginosyan had come up with the proposal to act as a mediator between the authorities and the armed groups. He said that the call remained unfulfilled but he blames no one for it. He also criticized the court’s treatment towards the detained member of “Founding Parliament” Alek Yenigomshyan, “As long as the man with disabilities is treated like that, they have no right to be called a man … If someone was shouting, “sober up”, I shout at him, “sober up unless we have the country, unless you have destroyed yourself, and it would not be a pity if the country was not destroyed along with you.” Our interlocutor emphasized that he is not affiliated to any of the sides, “Both sides are talking from the pedestal of their “I”, I have called on to stand on the pedestal of “we”. It is offensive when the intellectuals are forced to sign a letter. Some have signed underneath the letter but another letter was published. Respect yourself! You should not discredit the intellectuals for catching hold of the chair.”

http://en.aravot.am/2016/08/01/179533/

[Yervant1]

Huffington Post
Aug 1 2016


Will The End of The Police-Station Stand-Off Usher in Reform in Armenia?


Armine Sahakyan, Human rights activist based in Armenia, Columnist
with the Kyiv Post

YEREVAN, Armenia — The stand-off between Armenian government forces
and gun-toting members of a political fringe group who seized a police
station in the capital of Yerevan has ended in the raiders’ surrender.

The question is: What next?

They say cats have nine lives. By my count, President Serzh Sargsyan
has used up all nine of his.

Four of those nine lives have been expanded in the anti-government
protests that Armenians have staged each of the past four summers.
Before this summer’s marches in support of the police-station raiders,
there were protests against transit-fare and electricity-rate
increases, and pension reform that would have hurt Armenia’s most
vulnerable.

The other five lives that Sargsyan has expended have involved
non-summer demonstrations.

Many Armenians protested what they considered fraud in the 2008
election that catapulted him into the presidency and in his 2012
re-election victory. They also demonstrated against Russian President
Vladimir Putin browbeating Sargsyan in 2013 to reverse Armenia’s plan
to join the European Union in favor of the country joining the
Kremlin-led Eurasian Economic Union.

There were protests in the spring of 2015 against Armenia’s initial
decision to allow a Russian military court, and not an Armenian civil
court, to try a Russian soldier who murdered an entire Armenian family
in Gyumri, the site of a Russian military base. And there were
demonstrations in the winter of 2015 against Sargsyan’s successful bid
to force through a change in the constitution that will allow him to
stay in office for many more years.

The 20 raiders who were still in the police station on Sunday
surrendered exactly two weeks after they and 11 others occupied it.

In seizing it, they killed a top-ranked police officer and wounded two
others. That bloodshed made it more difficult right from the start to
end the stand-off with a compromise instead of the full-scale raider
capitulation that authorities demanded.

The death of a police officer from a sniper’s bullet outside the
station in recent days further hardened the authorities’ position on
capitulation, although the raiders denied that any of them had fired
the fatal shot.

In recent days, police snipers had been picking off the raiders one by
one, especially when they ventured outside the station.

Of the 11 occupants who left the facility before Sunday’s mass
surrender, nine apparently were wounded and needed hospital care,
while two able-bodied men decided they’d had enough.

The sharp-shooters could have put bullets through the brains of those
they wounded, but with one exception hit them in the legs — an
apparent strategy to avoid creating martyrs that would have stoked
occupation hopes of fomenting a general uprising against the
government.

The beginning of the end of Viktor Yanukovych’s presidency in Ukraine
was when, in the spring of 2014, his forces martyred more than 100
people in the Euromaidan protests in Kiev that had been demanding
Yanukovych’s resignation. Sargsyan wanted no repeat of that.

When the raiders seized the station on July 17, they demanded the
release of Jirair Sefilian, head of the Founding Parliament fringe
party. The government had arrested Sefilian, a hero of the
Nagorno-Karabakh War between ethnic Armenians and Azerbaijan, on
charges of plotting a coup attempt — allegations his followers have
denied.

The station occupiers also demanded that Sargsyan resign.

In the first day or two of the stand-off, only a couple of hundred
protesters showed up on the streets near the station to support the
occupiers. Most, presumably, were hard-core Founding Parliament
supporters.

As the tense drama continued, the demonstrations grew larger — up to
6,000 people at times, according to news accounts — and the
participants represented a broader opposition spectrum than Founding
Parliament.

The authorities didn’t help their cause by using what independent
observers such as the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, the Organization for
Security and Cooperation in Europe, and Transparency International
said was excessive force against the protesters.

On the worst night, about 75 demonstrators were beaten, a third of
them badly enough to be hospitalized, according to news reports.

Those roughed up included journalists from both Armenian and
non-Armenian news organizations.

Before the second police officer was killed, authorities offered the
station occupants an amnesty from prosecution if they laid down their
arms. And Sargsyan said he would be willing to talk with Sefilian
directly — again, on the condition that the raiders surrender first.

It’s unclear whether authorities revoked the amnesty offer and
Sargsyan backed away from his offer to talk with Sefilian after the
second officer was shot.

But those offers appear to be off the table now.

The leader of the raiders, Varuzhan Avetisian, said the hold-outs had
decided to become “prisoners of war” to avoid further bloodshed.

Although the occupation failed to achieve its key goals of getting
Sefilian released or forcing Sargsyan’s resignation, Avetisian said,
it succeeded in increasing anti-government sentiment that could one
day help bring change to the country.

While Sargsyan dodged another bullet by ending the stand-off in a way
that keeps him in power, he has to be sobered by the fervor of the
opposition to his regime that became apparent during the
demonstrations.

Armenians are increasingly frustrated with the country’s widespread
poverty, the corruption that has allowed Sargsyan and his cronies to
live like potentates, and the shadow the Kremlin casts over the
country — one that has already prevented Armenia from casting its
economic future with Europe rather than Russia.

The best way for Sargsyan to proceed would be to usher in real
economic and anti-corruption reform.

But dictators rarely understand that lesson until it’s too late.

https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.huffingtonpost.com_entry_will-2Dthe-2Dend-2Dof-2Dthe-2Dpolice-2Dstation-2Dstand-2Doff-2Dusher-5Fus-5F579ec7b2e4b004301c51813c&d=DQIFaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=p-epZPRk4lUF6KTSQzCyPUs0V7dCHVbXiTh6Dx80oVk&s=jRaARtm2dfK_5dN1VLdzdp7U_7_0zTnXPoN2lJCnRaI&e=

[Yervant1]

Armenia’s President Sargsyan: The Emperor Has No Clothes Hrant Gadarigian

 

15:07, August 2, 2016

Watching President Serzh Sargsyan’s deadpan and monotone speech the other night regarding the two-week standoff between the armed Sasna Dzrer group and what passes as “law enforcement” in Armenia, I wonder if the Armenian head of state realizes that a sizeable majority of citizens just don’t trust him and that most despise him and the regime he symbolizes.

Maybe Sargsyan just doesn’t care what people think of him. It could also be that he and his cronies live in a world so far removed from the trials and tribulations of the common-folk, that they really can’t see beyond their villas and the walls of the presidential palace.

In front of a zombie-like assemblage of so-called intellectuals, clergy, and representatives of different segments of society (whatever the hell this means), Sargsyan took a hardline approach, proclaiming:

From now on we will allow no one to take our country hostage.

We will allow no one to undermine the foundation of our state.

Problems in Armenia will not be solved through violence or arms.

Is Sargsyan for real? Does he realize just how hollow and hypocritical he sounds by mouthing such declarations?

Such smoke and mirrors; truly a shining example of doublespeak that even Orwell would have been proud of.

The “country”, far from being held hostage by a band of Artsakh War vets and disgruntled citizens who “were mad as hell and couldn’t take it anymore”, was actually held hostage for two weeks by the regime’s law enforcement arm and the thugs they payroll to quash any political dissent.

When cops and special forces rampage through residential neighborhoods detaining protestors left and right and see fit to beat journalists and citizens exercising their constitutional rights of freedom of _expression_ and assembly, whose “country” is actually being held hostage.

If Sargsyan were to come clean, he would have proclaimed: “We will not allow anyone to undermine the foundation of our power and authority”.

If, as Sargsyan states, “Problems in Armenia will not be solved through violence or arms”, the logical question arises – “What alternatives do you suggest, Mr. President?”

When Sargsyan makes superficial reference to the civil war in Syria, stating that such a development is ruled out in Armenia, the president really needs to do his homework. It’s actually because Assad failed to provide viable options to those Syrians who opposed his authoritarian regime that the civil war there spiraled out of control. Sargsyan would do well to learn some lessons from the mistakes made by Assad who countered public protest with increasing violence and a clampdown on dissent.

Further along in his speech, Sargsyan says:

In Armenia a simple truth, which it seems could not be debatable in the first place, has prevailed. That truth lives in our system of values, in our mentality, in our kind, and is about our heritage. Anyone can dislike the authorities, or the government, or the President, can be categorically against our policies. However, dislike cannot be a reason for glorifying those who attempt to solve problems with arms.

Such rhetoric turns the issues that gave rise to Sasna Dzrer and the simmering public discontent in Armenia on their head.

Nowhere, in his speech does the president say what measures he and the government will take to alleviate the root causes of the underlying problems facing society today in Armenia. It’s as if he shares none of the responsibility and that all his pronouncements over the past seven years since he “seized” control of the country to initiate real reforms – throughout all sectors of society – have been mere window dressing; more to appease the international community than to address the festering disillusionment and despondency of average citizens.

Does anyone actually take Sargsyan at his word when he stated the following?

Yes, it is true that the Armenian authorities are not perfect. Yes, it is true that there are many problems and complex issues in Armenia. Our goal is to give them a speedy resolution…At this stage our goal is also to form the authorities of national accord, in which issues will be solved under a wide consensus.

Not perfect? Who is asking for perfection? People want to see a sustainable process of real change. Most don’t see such a process. Repeated election fraud, economic monopolization, a judiciary in the pocket of the authorities, lack of engagement between citizens and civil administration, exploitation of the country’s natural resources by a privileged few…the list goes on and on.

Speedy resolution? National accord? Is Sargsyan living on the same planet as the rest of Armenia’s citizens.

What’s Sargsyan’s concept of a “speedy resolution” to the ills holding Armenia back for realizing its true potential. Other than platitudes, what’s his, and by extension, the master plan of the ruling Republican Party. I shudder at the thought. Maybe he refers to his overnight decision to join the Russian-backed Eurasian Economic Union rather than greater political and economic ties to the EU.

National accord? The country, under his “leadership” is becoming increasingly polarized, not the other way round. Doesn’t Sargsyan realize that the seeds for the civil war he ostensibly seeks to avoid have already been sown? It will pit the haves against the have-nots, the powerful against the powerless.

The regime may see fit to cut the budding stalks of the civil war to come, but the seeds underground will keep flowering.

Can Sargsyan, or whoever the figurehead of the ruling powers that be in Armenia, push through the necessary changes to avoid such a clash of interests in the future? I truly have my doubts.

Nor can I say, with any degree of conviction, who or what political force, has the vision and ability to get Armenia back on the right track.

All I can say for sure is that the man who currently presides at 26 Baghramyan Avenue in Yerevan has become the proverbial Hans Christian Andersen emperor stripped of his clothes and credibility.

The sooner people, in Armenia and overseas, see Sargsyan for what he really is, a man who rules through coercion rather than consent, the sooner we can agree that he and the powers he represents need to go.

http://hetq.am/eng/news/69686/armenias-president-sargsyan-the-emperor-has-no-clothes.html

[Yervant1]

Man who tried to torch himself in Yerevan’s Baghramyan Avenue dies

18:16, 02.08.2016

Region:Armenia
Theme: Politics, Incidents

http://news.am/img/news/34/01/89/default.jpg

YEREVAN. - Kajik Grigoryan, the man who tried to torch himself during the protest in Yerevan’s Baghramyan Avenue on July 30, died while ago in Yerevan’s Research Center of Radiation Medicine and Burns.

The hospital represenatives told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am.

As reported earlier, the hospital representatives informed that there was no positive dynamics in the condition of Kajik Grigoryan yet. He was in the stage of intoxication of his burn disease.

15 and 55 percent of the man’s upper respiratory tract and body surface had respectively been burnt.

On July 30, when the protestors blocked Baghramyan Avenue and staged a sit-in, a man of 50 tried to set himself alight. Citizens, who hurried to help him, took him to hospital by taxi.

http://news.am/eng/news/340189.html