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Dear Mr. Ambassador: What is your definition of `selective justice'?
News | 15.10.12 | 15:46
Tigran Arakelyan
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
A young Armenian National Congress (ANC) member, activist Tigran
Arakelyan, serving a six-year term in prison, has addressed a letter
to US Ambassador in Armenia John Heffern, accusing him of `selective
application of justice and democracy', because the ambassador made no
statement on the ANC activists' year-long controversial lawsuit and
`political persecution', but rapidly responded to former foreign
minister Vartan Oskanian's case in which Oskanian is charged with
money laundering.
`Mr. Ambassador, not commenting on and not expressing any position on
the well-known lawsuit related to us, don't you think it's bad for the
reputation of the United States and its representative from the same
viewpoint of selective application of justice and democracy,'
Arakelyan wrote in his letter. `Isn't this verdict `troubling in
relation to the elections'?'
Heffern in his October 10 statement referred to Oskanian's case as
`troubling' and `selective application of Armenian law'.
Not only the ruling Republicans criticized these words of the
ambassador , but also social networks started a heated discussion
saying that if the ambassador speaks about `selective' justice in
Oskanian's case, why is he ignoring the `most obvious injustice?'.
Heffern has not offered any comment.
Arakelyan and the other oppositional activists convicted along with
him - Sargis Gevorgyan (2 years) and Artak Karapetyan (3 years) - have
appealed the verdict of the court of first instance; the appeal is
still in process.
The ANC activities were detained and sued for the October 9, 2011,
clash with policemen near the Swan Lake, downtown Yerevan, during
which the activists, as claimed by the police, assaulted a government
official and applied `life- and health-threatening violence' and
`hooliganism'.
This incident became a hindrance to the dialogue that had started
between the opposition and the authorities and was suspended after the
arrests. Repeatedly politicians have stated that the young men are
being punished for their political affiliation and that `it is
unacceptable to bring in a verdict based solely on the police's
testimony'.
`This is an apparent political case, even more so than Oskanian's, but
those selective responses and condemnations do not make sense,' ANC MP
Gagik Jhangiryan told ArmeniaNow.
News | 15.10.12 | 15:46
Tigran Arakelyan
By Gayane Abrahamyan
ArmeniaNow reporter
A young Armenian National Congress (ANC) member, activist Tigran
Arakelyan, serving a six-year term in prison, has addressed a letter
to US Ambassador in Armenia John Heffern, accusing him of `selective
application of justice and democracy', because the ambassador made no
statement on the ANC activists' year-long controversial lawsuit and
`political persecution', but rapidly responded to former foreign
minister Vartan Oskanian's case in which Oskanian is charged with
money laundering.
`Mr. Ambassador, not commenting on and not expressing any position on
the well-known lawsuit related to us, don't you think it's bad for the
reputation of the United States and its representative from the same
viewpoint of selective application of justice and democracy,'
Arakelyan wrote in his letter. `Isn't this verdict `troubling in
relation to the elections'?'
Heffern in his October 10 statement referred to Oskanian's case as
`troubling' and `selective application of Armenian law'.
Not only the ruling Republicans criticized these words of the
ambassador , but also social networks started a heated discussion
saying that if the ambassador speaks about `selective' justice in
Oskanian's case, why is he ignoring the `most obvious injustice?'.
Heffern has not offered any comment.
Arakelyan and the other oppositional activists convicted along with
him - Sargis Gevorgyan (2 years) and Artak Karapetyan (3 years) - have
appealed the verdict of the court of first instance; the appeal is
still in process.
The ANC activities were detained and sued for the October 9, 2011,
clash with policemen near the Swan Lake, downtown Yerevan, during
which the activists, as claimed by the police, assaulted a government
official and applied `life- and health-threatening violence' and
`hooliganism'.
This incident became a hindrance to the dialogue that had started
between the opposition and the authorities and was suspended after the
arrests. Repeatedly politicians have stated that the young men are
being punished for their political affiliation and that `it is
unacceptable to bring in a verdict based solely on the police's
testimony'.
`This is an apparent political case, even more so than Oskanian's, but
those selective responses and condemnations do not make sense,' ANC MP
Gagik Jhangiryan told ArmeniaNow.