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ARMENIA: OPPOSITION DISTRUSTS AMNESTY MOTIVES
June 15, 2009
http://www.eurasianet.org
Armenian authorities have prepared an amnesty and scrapped a commission
that was to investigate the causes of post-election political violence
in 2008, the leader of the opposition New Times Party, Aram Karapetian,
announced during a June 15 news conference.
Karapetian suggested the government moves were part of a cover-up
designed to prevent information from coming to light on the causes
of the 2008 clashes. "Authorities are trying to hush up the issue,"
Karapetian was quoted by Regnum news agency as saying. He said that he
had received 2,000 pages and lots of video evidence collected by the
commission that could shed light on "what really happened" on March
1, 2008. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan dissolved the fact-finding group on June 6.
Karapetian added that the government's plans to announce an amnesty
also serve the purpose of trying to keep public attention away from
thinking about responsibility for the events.
"Amnesty is a good thing, but it is bad that the president is trying
to present it as a public demand," said Karapetyan.
June 15, 2009
http://www.eurasianet.org
Armenian authorities have prepared an amnesty and scrapped a commission
that was to investigate the causes of post-election political violence
in 2008, the leader of the opposition New Times Party, Aram Karapetian,
announced during a June 15 news conference.
Karapetian suggested the government moves were part of a cover-up
designed to prevent information from coming to light on the causes
of the 2008 clashes. "Authorities are trying to hush up the issue,"
Karapetian was quoted by Regnum news agency as saying. He said that he
had received 2,000 pages and lots of video evidence collected by the
commission that could shed light on "what really happened" on March
1, 2008. [For background see the Eurasia Insight archive]. Armenian
President Serzh Sargsyan dissolved the fact-finding group on June 6.
Karapetian added that the government's plans to announce an amnesty
also serve the purpose of trying to keep public attention away from
thinking about responsibility for the events.
"Amnesty is a good thing, but it is bad that the president is trying
to present it as a public demand," said Karapetyan.