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THOUGHTS OF A VOTER
by David Stepanyan
arminfo
Thursday, October 11, 13:56
The so-called "Civilitas case" and "money laundering" charges
brought against Vardan Oskanyan, ex-foreign minister of Armenia,
parliamentarian, member of Prosperous Armenia Party, gave the
Armenian people much food for thoughts. Considering that Oskanyan was
stripped of deputy immunity "for legal reasons" with the support of
the Republicans, one cannot but think of the motives of such behavior
of the authorities against the ex-minister. Yesterday, not long after
the official charges were brought against Oskanyan, he answered that
question declaring that if Prosperous Armenia Party offers him to
run for the president, he will. The point is that Oskanyan made that
statement after the fact and today it can just explain his "comb-out"
by the authorities, but will not work for its direct goal...
In such a manner, Oskanyan openly declared his presidential ambitions
for the very part of the public that still had doubts. Most of the
people, who are called analysts in Armenia, have repeatedly mentioned
that fact. Implication of Oskanyan's statement becomes obvious given
that Prosperous Armenia Party has not yet announced its official
stance on the presidential election of Feb 18 2013. By the way,
Oskanyan was careful to state that the first candidate for president
from PAP must be Leader of the party Gagik Tsarukyan. Nevertheless,
with due respect to the charitable activity of Gagik Tsarukyan,
it is evident that Tsarukyan's candidature pale in comparison. A
U.S.-educated Armenian who graduated from Harvard University's
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, an experienced diplomat, a
man of means, who is not burdened with the "communist and Komsomol"
past and thinking, had all chances for presidency. Intellectuals of
Armenia, who still remain in the country despite the growing migration,
will undoubtedly support Oskanyan's candidature. Alongside with the
450,000 votes PAP received in the parliamentary elections on May 6
and the solid financial and information resources Oskanyan would be
at least a serious rival to President Serzh Sargsyan.
He would, but for the doubtful aspiration of the Prosecutor General
and others investigation agencies to accuse Oskanyan of embezzlement
of the funds belonging to a little known John Huntsman. However, for
some unknown reasons the investigation agencies do not wonder wherefrom
the 90% of local officials get funds to build luxury mansions and drive
expensive cars. It is not a secret that in Armenia the authorities can
press everyone in their team as they have the good on everybody. No
matter whether Oskanyan laundered money or not, everyone in independent
Armenia knows that the prosecutor's office is not independent. A
simple truth for everyone who has any doubts: the fact of criminal
proceedings against a politician who has presidential ambitious on
the threshold of elections automatically turns the proceedings into
political persecution. The scandalous campaign of the Elysee Palace
against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former chief of the IMF, is a bright
evidence of the aforementioned. The only difference was that the
French politician faced allegations of obscenity, while the Armenian
politician suffered from allegations of bribery.
However, the Armenian authorities were probably interested in the
outcome rather than the moral aspect of Strauss-Kahn's persecutions.
So, they beat even the French Themis. Oskanyan's persecutions proved
so cynical that during discussions on the prosecutor general's
petition to strip Oskanyan of deputy immunity, some pro-governmental
parliamentarians - Galust Sahakyan, Khosrov Haroutiunyan and
Mher Shagledyan - tried their best to favor the authorities and
demanded Oskanyan to prove his innocence by his own. Such demand
by the politicians and their partners in the ruling coalition is an
interesting message. All this sends us back to the Soviet judicial
system of 1937 that inherently denied even such acknowledged
conception as presumption of innocence. This, in turn, gives much
food for thoughts about the intentions of our authorities and about
our future...
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
by David Stepanyan
arminfo
Thursday, October 11, 13:56
The so-called "Civilitas case" and "money laundering" charges
brought against Vardan Oskanyan, ex-foreign minister of Armenia,
parliamentarian, member of Prosperous Armenia Party, gave the
Armenian people much food for thoughts. Considering that Oskanyan was
stripped of deputy immunity "for legal reasons" with the support of
the Republicans, one cannot but think of the motives of such behavior
of the authorities against the ex-minister. Yesterday, not long after
the official charges were brought against Oskanyan, he answered that
question declaring that if Prosperous Armenia Party offers him to
run for the president, he will. The point is that Oskanyan made that
statement after the fact and today it can just explain his "comb-out"
by the authorities, but will not work for its direct goal...
In such a manner, Oskanyan openly declared his presidential ambitions
for the very part of the public that still had doubts. Most of the
people, who are called analysts in Armenia, have repeatedly mentioned
that fact. Implication of Oskanyan's statement becomes obvious given
that Prosperous Armenia Party has not yet announced its official
stance on the presidential election of Feb 18 2013. By the way,
Oskanyan was careful to state that the first candidate for president
from PAP must be Leader of the party Gagik Tsarukyan. Nevertheless,
with due respect to the charitable activity of Gagik Tsarukyan,
it is evident that Tsarukyan's candidature pale in comparison. A
U.S.-educated Armenian who graduated from Harvard University's
Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, an experienced diplomat, a
man of means, who is not burdened with the "communist and Komsomol"
past and thinking, had all chances for presidency. Intellectuals of
Armenia, who still remain in the country despite the growing migration,
will undoubtedly support Oskanyan's candidature. Alongside with the
450,000 votes PAP received in the parliamentary elections on May 6
and the solid financial and information resources Oskanyan would be
at least a serious rival to President Serzh Sargsyan.
He would, but for the doubtful aspiration of the Prosecutor General
and others investigation agencies to accuse Oskanyan of embezzlement
of the funds belonging to a little known John Huntsman. However, for
some unknown reasons the investigation agencies do not wonder wherefrom
the 90% of local officials get funds to build luxury mansions and drive
expensive cars. It is not a secret that in Armenia the authorities can
press everyone in their team as they have the good on everybody. No
matter whether Oskanyan laundered money or not, everyone in independent
Armenia knows that the prosecutor's office is not independent. A
simple truth for everyone who has any doubts: the fact of criminal
proceedings against a politician who has presidential ambitious on
the threshold of elections automatically turns the proceedings into
political persecution. The scandalous campaign of the Elysee Palace
against Dominique Strauss-Kahn, former chief of the IMF, is a bright
evidence of the aforementioned. The only difference was that the
French politician faced allegations of obscenity, while the Armenian
politician suffered from allegations of bribery.
However, the Armenian authorities were probably interested in the
outcome rather than the moral aspect of Strauss-Kahn's persecutions.
So, they beat even the French Themis. Oskanyan's persecutions proved
so cynical that during discussions on the prosecutor general's
petition to strip Oskanyan of deputy immunity, some pro-governmental
parliamentarians - Galust Sahakyan, Khosrov Haroutiunyan and
Mher Shagledyan - tried their best to favor the authorities and
demanded Oskanyan to prove his innocence by his own. Such demand
by the politicians and their partners in the ruling coalition is an
interesting message. All this sends us back to the Soviet judicial
system of 1937 that inherently denied even such acknowledged
conception as presumption of innocence. This, in turn, gives much
food for thoughts about the intentions of our authorities and about
our future...
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress