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ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT GIVES AMNESTY TO MOST JAILED OPPOSITION ACTIVISTS
Natalia Leshchenko
World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
June 22 2009
The Armenian parliament voted on Friday (19 June) to declare an amnesty
for the opposition activists detained after the 1 March 2008 protests
over the results of the presidential election. Under the amnesty
legislation, some 90% of the detained protesters will be freed, or
around 2,000 people. Those who had sentences of less than five years
will be released immediately, and those with longer sentences will see
them halved. Concerns remain about an estimated 18 people who are still
under investigation or arrest on criminal charges; four of them, former
MPs and a foreign minister are of particular worry for the opposition.
Significance:The amnesty motion comes from President Serzh Sargsyan
himself; although described as an attempt to bring political
reconciliation to the country and not a result of any external
pressure, it is hard not to link the event to the forthcoming session
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 24
June on the situation in Armenia. PACE had previously demanded that all
political opponents of the authorities be immediately released. For
the Armenian leadership, the risk of having the protest participants
released is smaller than that of dealing with the damage to the
international reputation of the country should PACE make a critical
verdict. The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation had already cut
its infrastructure assistance funding to Armenia over democratic
legitimacy concerns, an embarrassment for the government. The amnesty
will free nearly half of Armenia's prisoners, but with the leaders of
the opposition still detained, this is not likely to affect security
in the country.
Natalia Leshchenko
World Markets Research Centre
Global Insight
June 22 2009
The Armenian parliament voted on Friday (19 June) to declare an amnesty
for the opposition activists detained after the 1 March 2008 protests
over the results of the presidential election. Under the amnesty
legislation, some 90% of the detained protesters will be freed, or
around 2,000 people. Those who had sentences of less than five years
will be released immediately, and those with longer sentences will see
them halved. Concerns remain about an estimated 18 people who are still
under investigation or arrest on criminal charges; four of them, former
MPs and a foreign minister are of particular worry for the opposition.
Significance:The amnesty motion comes from President Serzh Sargsyan
himself; although described as an attempt to bring political
reconciliation to the country and not a result of any external
pressure, it is hard not to link the event to the forthcoming session
of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) on 24
June on the situation in Armenia. PACE had previously demanded that all
political opponents of the authorities be immediately released. For
the Armenian leadership, the risk of having the protest participants
released is smaller than that of dealing with the damage to the
international reputation of the country should PACE make a critical
verdict. The U.S. Millennium Challenge Corporation had already cut
its infrastructure assistance funding to Armenia over democratic
legitimacy concerns, an embarrassment for the government. The amnesty
will free nearly half of Armenia's prisoners, but with the leaders of
the opposition still detained, this is not likely to affect security
in the country.