Tweet
OPINION: CRIME AND PUNISHMENT, ARMENIAN STYLE
14:34, August 21, 2013
By Stepan Danielyan
Every day, the media in Armenia reports about numerous crimes
perpetrated by state officials. Sadly, none of these revelations
translate into the criminals being punished.
This is a system-wide phenomenon and we would be well served to
understand the reasons why.
The political history of Armenia in the past few years is chock-full
of crime, serious offences. But one would be hard-pressed to recollect
one major case where the perpetrators have been held responsible.
What's the reason? We all know that the judicial system is not
independent and is subject to the executive.
We can state that contrary to the ruling Republican Party, to which
state bodies are apparently subject and which, if we follow the press,
has been transformed into an apolitical structure, the judicial system
is the most politicized institution in Armenia and this characteristic
is manifested in its verdicts and decisions.
The reason for the apolitical nature of the Republican Party and
the politicization of the judicial system is one and the same -
the anti-constitutional nature of the country's governance. That's
to say, constitutional bodies should not perform their obligations,
and the opposite - they must carry out that which is expected of them
from the guarantor of anti-constitutional governance.
The populace of Armenia can be divided into two categories for whom
different sets of laws are applied. The second category is the society,
for whom the law is applied with full force, and which is regarded
by the first category as a source of enrichment. Here, everything
is clear.
However, the composition of the first category is quite complex and it
is much more difficult to understand the laws that govern this sector.
It is natural that this group, which includes the state bureaucracy,
institutions of power, big business and the elite of the criminal
world, cannot be governed by the same standards that restrict the
bulk of society.
The rallying hymn of this governance is well-known.
At the end of the congress of the Republican Party, when members were
lined up to bid farewell to their leader, what rang out was a live
performance not of the national hymn, but rather the refrains of the
song "Betrayal is Infamy". The party members, by singing the tune,
were exhibiting their personal allegiance to the leader as well as
accepting the "inner rules" imposed on them to extend the scope of
authority. Understandably, appropriate modes of punishment must be
crafted for such betrayal.
It is also clear that a criminally-based group cannot be punished
by the laws envisaged for common mortals. During the events of 2008,
contrary to arrested political prisoners, big businessman Khachatour
Soukiasyan was declared a "traitor" and was punished in unique
fashion. In this way, traitors, those who were part of the group
and took advantage of the favors and opportunities so afforded the,
or more correctly, those who participated in illegal processes, must
be punished in other ways - they must be banished from the club,
suitably denigrated and stripped of their property. In case their
offence is much more serious, they must be subjected to maximum
punishment, for which there are numerous examples.
This, then, is the most important methodology for Armenia's system
of governance. If we understand it, we will be able to comprehend
the meaning and content of internal political science articles.
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/28814/opinion-crime-and-punishment-armenian-style.html
14:34, August 21, 2013
By Stepan Danielyan
Every day, the media in Armenia reports about numerous crimes
perpetrated by state officials. Sadly, none of these revelations
translate into the criminals being punished.
This is a system-wide phenomenon and we would be well served to
understand the reasons why.
The political history of Armenia in the past few years is chock-full
of crime, serious offences. But one would be hard-pressed to recollect
one major case where the perpetrators have been held responsible.
What's the reason? We all know that the judicial system is not
independent and is subject to the executive.
We can state that contrary to the ruling Republican Party, to which
state bodies are apparently subject and which, if we follow the press,
has been transformed into an apolitical structure, the judicial system
is the most politicized institution in Armenia and this characteristic
is manifested in its verdicts and decisions.
The reason for the apolitical nature of the Republican Party and
the politicization of the judicial system is one and the same -
the anti-constitutional nature of the country's governance. That's
to say, constitutional bodies should not perform their obligations,
and the opposite - they must carry out that which is expected of them
from the guarantor of anti-constitutional governance.
The populace of Armenia can be divided into two categories for whom
different sets of laws are applied. The second category is the society,
for whom the law is applied with full force, and which is regarded
by the first category as a source of enrichment. Here, everything
is clear.
However, the composition of the first category is quite complex and it
is much more difficult to understand the laws that govern this sector.
It is natural that this group, which includes the state bureaucracy,
institutions of power, big business and the elite of the criminal
world, cannot be governed by the same standards that restrict the
bulk of society.
The rallying hymn of this governance is well-known.
At the end of the congress of the Republican Party, when members were
lined up to bid farewell to their leader, what rang out was a live
performance not of the national hymn, but rather the refrains of the
song "Betrayal is Infamy". The party members, by singing the tune,
were exhibiting their personal allegiance to the leader as well as
accepting the "inner rules" imposed on them to extend the scope of
authority. Understandably, appropriate modes of punishment must be
crafted for such betrayal.
It is also clear that a criminally-based group cannot be punished
by the laws envisaged for common mortals. During the events of 2008,
contrary to arrested political prisoners, big businessman Khachatour
Soukiasyan was declared a "traitor" and was punished in unique
fashion. In this way, traitors, those who were part of the group
and took advantage of the favors and opportunities so afforded the,
or more correctly, those who participated in illegal processes, must
be punished in other ways - they must be banished from the club,
suitably denigrated and stripped of their property. In case their
offence is much more serious, they must be subjected to maximum
punishment, for which there are numerous examples.
This, then, is the most important methodology for Armenia's system
of governance. If we understand it, we will be able to comprehend
the meaning and content of internal political science articles.
http://hetq.am/eng/opinion/28814/opinion-crime-and-punishment-armenian-style.html