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APRIL 9 IN FOCUS: POLITICIANS, HUMAN RIGHTS ACTIVISTS DISSECT CRUNCH POINT OF POST-ELECTION PROTESTS
VOTE 2013 | 11.04.13 | 14:42
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The political events of this week have brought to culmination the
Barevolution, or Hello Revolution, campaign launched after the
February 18 ballot - and seem to have raised another wave of public
disappointment. April 9 made it clear for many observers that the
authorities would go for the repetition of the 2008 post-election
crackdown and proclaim another opposition politician a "traitor".
"The police did not use force, they isolated the leader and others
in charge - this was the obvious strategy. There were 3,000 people
in Baghramyan avenue and some 7-8 thousand policemen, but if there
were 30,000 people out there, the police would have applied force,
in case of 60,000 they would have fired guns, if there were more,
the police would have switched sides and stood by the people," says
former presidential candidate Andreas Ghukasyan.
He believes that this scale should be taken into account when
suggesting political plans to people. He continues to see Heritage
party leader Raffi Hovannisian as inseparable part of the oppositional
processes, but believes that the responsibility is no longer his alone.
"From today on the anti-criminal revolution is the duty of every
citizen. It is no more about disputing the election results," says
Ghukasyan, adding that: "There was no trust that Hovannisian would
be able to lead the political system in that transitional period,
hence there was no unification around him."
Expert in conflict analysis Arsen Kharatyan raises a question:
"Why were you by Raffi's side, in that case?"
"In order to create that center, but we failed. We saw that some
parties, parliament factions shunned the inauguration ceremony,
but they did not put down their mandates, did not go for a political
crisis," says Ghukasyan.
Armenian Helsinki Committee leader, human rights activist
Avetik Ishkhanyan believes that the self-proclaimed alternative or
oppositional forces, possessing the main resources, treated Hovannisian
with even bigger jealousy that actually the authorities.
He says Hovannisian by his mentality, was psychologically strange to
them, in terms of corruption or from any other perspective.
"They keep voicing one question: "What does Raffi want to say?" or
"Then what?". We have that dogmatic thinking of "what to do", and
we have witnessed that "what to do" since 1996 till 2008. I do not
know what he will do, but my impression is that perhaps he tried to
move guided by Gandhi-like culture of tolerance... I do not know if
it will be a success or not, but that success might still come in a
longer term, and when they criticize him, I always ask: "What would
you do, if it were you?"
Kharatyan says there certainly is some disappointment after April 9,
especially among those who walked from Gyumri to Yerevan (around
125 kilometers).
"But yesterday [April 9], it was more important to prevent clashes,
than go for it," he says.
Analyzing the April 9 events in terms of legal proportionality,
Ishkhanyan points out three cases of violation: "During the
candle-lighting where Baghramyan avenue starts a few candles were
thrown in the direction of the police, and the police used rather
nasty abusive language of sexual character. This is obviously violation
of proportionality."
The third violation, according to him, is that regardless of the
nature of the rally, whether informed, prohibited, spontaneous or
urgent, if it is peaceful, the police have no right to intervene.
"There is, however, another facet to it. During the hours of the
president's inauguration ceremony, I don't think any country would
have dared to allow a rally like that. But the evening prohibition
of the peaceful march to enter Baghramyan was again disruption of
proportionality by the police. Activists were treated roughly during
detention, meanwhile the official police statement claims that only
one citizen was detained," he says.
Ishkhanyan especially stressed that the Police were extremely worried
that day, judging from the amount of police forces concentrated in
various parts of Yerevan.
"In Zakyan, Khorenatsi streets there were 10-15 buses full of police
officers. We have photographs showing that there even were defense
ministry vehicles," he says.
From: A. Papazian
VOTE 2013 | 11.04.13 | 14:42
By GAYANE MKRTCHYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter
The political events of this week have brought to culmination the
Barevolution, or Hello Revolution, campaign launched after the
February 18 ballot - and seem to have raised another wave of public
disappointment. April 9 made it clear for many observers that the
authorities would go for the repetition of the 2008 post-election
crackdown and proclaim another opposition politician a "traitor".
"The police did not use force, they isolated the leader and others
in charge - this was the obvious strategy. There were 3,000 people
in Baghramyan avenue and some 7-8 thousand policemen, but if there
were 30,000 people out there, the police would have applied force,
in case of 60,000 they would have fired guns, if there were more,
the police would have switched sides and stood by the people," says
former presidential candidate Andreas Ghukasyan.
He believes that this scale should be taken into account when
suggesting political plans to people. He continues to see Heritage
party leader Raffi Hovannisian as inseparable part of the oppositional
processes, but believes that the responsibility is no longer his alone.
"From today on the anti-criminal revolution is the duty of every
citizen. It is no more about disputing the election results," says
Ghukasyan, adding that: "There was no trust that Hovannisian would
be able to lead the political system in that transitional period,
hence there was no unification around him."
Expert in conflict analysis Arsen Kharatyan raises a question:
"Why were you by Raffi's side, in that case?"
"In order to create that center, but we failed. We saw that some
parties, parliament factions shunned the inauguration ceremony,
but they did not put down their mandates, did not go for a political
crisis," says Ghukasyan.
Armenian Helsinki Committee leader, human rights activist
Avetik Ishkhanyan believes that the self-proclaimed alternative or
oppositional forces, possessing the main resources, treated Hovannisian
with even bigger jealousy that actually the authorities.
He says Hovannisian by his mentality, was psychologically strange to
them, in terms of corruption or from any other perspective.
"They keep voicing one question: "What does Raffi want to say?" or
"Then what?". We have that dogmatic thinking of "what to do", and
we have witnessed that "what to do" since 1996 till 2008. I do not
know what he will do, but my impression is that perhaps he tried to
move guided by Gandhi-like culture of tolerance... I do not know if
it will be a success or not, but that success might still come in a
longer term, and when they criticize him, I always ask: "What would
you do, if it were you?"
Kharatyan says there certainly is some disappointment after April 9,
especially among those who walked from Gyumri to Yerevan (around
125 kilometers).
"But yesterday [April 9], it was more important to prevent clashes,
than go for it," he says.
Analyzing the April 9 events in terms of legal proportionality,
Ishkhanyan points out three cases of violation: "During the
candle-lighting where Baghramyan avenue starts a few candles were
thrown in the direction of the police, and the police used rather
nasty abusive language of sexual character. This is obviously violation
of proportionality."
The third violation, according to him, is that regardless of the
nature of the rally, whether informed, prohibited, spontaneous or
urgent, if it is peaceful, the police have no right to intervene.
"There is, however, another facet to it. During the hours of the
president's inauguration ceremony, I don't think any country would
have dared to allow a rally like that. But the evening prohibition
of the peaceful march to enter Baghramyan was again disruption of
proportionality by the police. Activists were treated roughly during
detention, meanwhile the official police statement claims that only
one citizen was detained," he says.
Ishkhanyan especially stressed that the Police were extremely worried
that day, judging from the amount of police forces concentrated in
various parts of Yerevan.
"In Zakyan, Khorenatsi streets there were 10-15 buses full of police
officers. We have photographs showing that there even were defense
ministry vehicles," he says.
From: A. Papazian