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HEAD OF KARABAKH OPPOSITION PARTY: 'ARTSAKH AUTHORITIES ARE COMPETING TO WIN FAVOR OF PRESIDENT SARGSYAN'- VIDEOS
Vahe Sarukhanyan
14:47, February 2, 2015
Hetq speaks to Hayk Khanoumyan, president of the Azgayin Veratznound
(National Rebirth) political party of Artsakh regarding the January
31attack on an automobile convoy of political opposition activists
from Armenia as they entered Artsakh.
Hayk, were you expecting such a thing to happen or did it come as
a surprise? How did you find out about the incident that took place
near Berdzor?
For days, the authorities had been manipulating Artsakh public opinion,
trying to make the car convoy and its participants into monsters. And
they were playing with the most sensitive of all issues for Artsakh
residents; that of security. (According to reports, the authorities
had told residents that the participants had called on young men in
Armenia not to militarily serve in Artsakh - VS)
They were preaching hate towards those who initiated the car convoy
and its supporters. I expected violence, but not to this degree. The
first victims of violence were the Founding Parliament supporters
who traveled to Berdzor from Stepanakert. I heard about the attack
when these individuals had just been transferred to hospital.
Before the convoy, Artsakh government authorities had met with
representatives of the Founding Parliament organization, urging them to
call off the convoy. Later, the Artsakh Freedom Fighters Union declared
the convoy illegal and that they would voice their opposition to the
event. The convoy participants described the convoy as an informative
action where CDs would be handed out and that a meeting with Artsakh
students would be held. Is the public sector and internal situation
in Artsakh so fragile that such a car convoy could pose some kind of
danger, as argued by local authorities?
The Artsakh authorities are afraid of everything - every unsupervised
word, every Facebook post by a student, or protest.
The authorities are trying to create a closed-mouth society in
which they can continue to enrich them and rule through unparalleled
corruption. The state propaganda machine is even used against the
smallest undesirable Facebook post, discrediting them as 'the enemy
behind the mountain'.
We have to remember that this is the last term of Artsakh President
Bako Sahakyan. Thus, there's an internal contest being waged to win
favor with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan amongst the possible
presidential contenders for the next election. Even Bako Sahakyan
is involved in an attempt to remain in office until the end of his
tenure in 2017.
Serzh Sargsyan doesn't look favorably on any expression of criticism
addressed to him emanating from Artsakh. Consequently, he fuels the
fire of this contest between Artsakh authorities. This policy led to
the unprecedented embarrassment that took place on January 31.
The Artsakh Police issued a statement arguing that the convoy had
elicited widespread negative reactions in the public and that a large
segment of the populace had decided to prevent the convoy from entering
Artsakh. Even though the police had seized cameras on the scene,
video clips clearly show how armed Special Forces and the police,
along with individuals wearing civilian clothes sporting armbands
attacked the participants and their cars with truncheons.
Reports claim that local authorities had urged Berdzor residents to
come out into the streets but that they had refused. Thus, the police
assumed the task. In your opinion, had the police done their duty and
escorted the convoy, would a confrontation have taken place between
convoy participants and average citizens in Berdzor, Stepanakert,
or elsewhere?
Let me note that most Artsakh residents weren't even aware of the
Founding Parliament or the Pre-Parliament organization. Had the convoy
been allowed to pass, most local residents would have mistaken it for
a wedding party. The 'negative reaction' argument was created on the
orders of the Artsakh authorities themselves.
On January 31, I met with some freedom fighters that had come to
Berdzor on orders to oppose the convoy. They cursed the authorities
for misleading them and getting them involved in such a embarrassing
situation.
Today (this interview was conducted on Feb. 1 - VS), residents of
various Kashatagh villages telephoned me and expressed the same views.
It must be stressed that a large segment of the populace - freedom
fighters, representatives of youth organizations, civil servants and
police - are the direct victims of a huge conspiracy hatched by the
Artsakh authorities and President Bako Sahakyan in particular.
Hayk, nevertheless, we should note that only a few prominent
individuals that were never pro-government and you party publicly
condemned what took place from the get-go. Is it that other political
forces and average Artsakh residents are so fearful of speaking out?
Or is it the case that, on the whole, there is no diversity of opinion,
either politically or publicly, in Artsakh, especially since there
are posts in the social media justifying the actions of the attacker?
Sadly, representatives of the parties seated in the Artsakh parliament
(Azat Hayrenik, ARF, and Democratic Party of Artsakh) also participated
in the demonization of the process. But there are also posts in the
social media, especially by the new generation, that have condemned
what took place.
You correctly note that there haven't been many statements by political
organizations criticizing the attack. But the regional representatives
of our party, which has a wide following in Artsakh and an initial
presence n 85 communities, are constantly telephoning me to express
their indignation.
Can we assume, based on the statements made by the police and the
presidential spokesman justifying the actions of law enforcement as
legal, that those who participated in the violence will go unpunished
in the eyes of the law?
Bako Sahakyan ordered the violence. The police are predisposed to
take a do-nothing approach.
Yesterday I went to the hospital to see our injured friends. For
a whole hour, the hospital administration refused to file a police
report even though it had admitted four individuals who were clearly
beaten. Finally, one of the injured, Kerob Ghazaryan, telephoned the
police and reported what had happened to him.
This entire situation goes to show that there will be no
accountability.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/58370/head-of-karabakh-opposition-party-artsakh-authorities-are-competing-to-win-favor-of-president-sargsyan.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF33yx8jpo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF33yx8jpo#t=163
Vahe Sarukhanyan
14:47, February 2, 2015
Hetq speaks to Hayk Khanoumyan, president of the Azgayin Veratznound
(National Rebirth) political party of Artsakh regarding the January
31attack on an automobile convoy of political opposition activists
from Armenia as they entered Artsakh.
Hayk, were you expecting such a thing to happen or did it come as
a surprise? How did you find out about the incident that took place
near Berdzor?
For days, the authorities had been manipulating Artsakh public opinion,
trying to make the car convoy and its participants into monsters. And
they were playing with the most sensitive of all issues for Artsakh
residents; that of security. (According to reports, the authorities
had told residents that the participants had called on young men in
Armenia not to militarily serve in Artsakh - VS)
They were preaching hate towards those who initiated the car convoy
and its supporters. I expected violence, but not to this degree. The
first victims of violence were the Founding Parliament supporters
who traveled to Berdzor from Stepanakert. I heard about the attack
when these individuals had just been transferred to hospital.
Before the convoy, Artsakh government authorities had met with
representatives of the Founding Parliament organization, urging them to
call off the convoy. Later, the Artsakh Freedom Fighters Union declared
the convoy illegal and that they would voice their opposition to the
event. The convoy participants described the convoy as an informative
action where CDs would be handed out and that a meeting with Artsakh
students would be held. Is the public sector and internal situation
in Artsakh so fragile that such a car convoy could pose some kind of
danger, as argued by local authorities?
The Artsakh authorities are afraid of everything - every unsupervised
word, every Facebook post by a student, or protest.
The authorities are trying to create a closed-mouth society in
which they can continue to enrich them and rule through unparalleled
corruption. The state propaganda machine is even used against the
smallest undesirable Facebook post, discrediting them as 'the enemy
behind the mountain'.
We have to remember that this is the last term of Artsakh President
Bako Sahakyan. Thus, there's an internal contest being waged to win
favor with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan amongst the possible
presidential contenders for the next election. Even Bako Sahakyan
is involved in an attempt to remain in office until the end of his
tenure in 2017.
Serzh Sargsyan doesn't look favorably on any expression of criticism
addressed to him emanating from Artsakh. Consequently, he fuels the
fire of this contest between Artsakh authorities. This policy led to
the unprecedented embarrassment that took place on January 31.
The Artsakh Police issued a statement arguing that the convoy had
elicited widespread negative reactions in the public and that a large
segment of the populace had decided to prevent the convoy from entering
Artsakh. Even though the police had seized cameras on the scene,
video clips clearly show how armed Special Forces and the police,
along with individuals wearing civilian clothes sporting armbands
attacked the participants and their cars with truncheons.
Reports claim that local authorities had urged Berdzor residents to
come out into the streets but that they had refused. Thus, the police
assumed the task. In your opinion, had the police done their duty and
escorted the convoy, would a confrontation have taken place between
convoy participants and average citizens in Berdzor, Stepanakert,
or elsewhere?
Let me note that most Artsakh residents weren't even aware of the
Founding Parliament or the Pre-Parliament organization. Had the convoy
been allowed to pass, most local residents would have mistaken it for
a wedding party. The 'negative reaction' argument was created on the
orders of the Artsakh authorities themselves.
On January 31, I met with some freedom fighters that had come to
Berdzor on orders to oppose the convoy. They cursed the authorities
for misleading them and getting them involved in such a embarrassing
situation.
Today (this interview was conducted on Feb. 1 - VS), residents of
various Kashatagh villages telephoned me and expressed the same views.
It must be stressed that a large segment of the populace - freedom
fighters, representatives of youth organizations, civil servants and
police - are the direct victims of a huge conspiracy hatched by the
Artsakh authorities and President Bako Sahakyan in particular.
Hayk, nevertheless, we should note that only a few prominent
individuals that were never pro-government and you party publicly
condemned what took place from the get-go. Is it that other political
forces and average Artsakh residents are so fearful of speaking out?
Or is it the case that, on the whole, there is no diversity of opinion,
either politically or publicly, in Artsakh, especially since there
are posts in the social media justifying the actions of the attacker?
Sadly, representatives of the parties seated in the Artsakh parliament
(Azat Hayrenik, ARF, and Democratic Party of Artsakh) also participated
in the demonization of the process. But there are also posts in the
social media, especially by the new generation, that have condemned
what took place.
You correctly note that there haven't been many statements by political
organizations criticizing the attack. But the regional representatives
of our party, which has a wide following in Artsakh and an initial
presence n 85 communities, are constantly telephoning me to express
their indignation.
Can we assume, based on the statements made by the police and the
presidential spokesman justifying the actions of law enforcement as
legal, that those who participated in the violence will go unpunished
in the eyes of the law?
Bako Sahakyan ordered the violence. The police are predisposed to
take a do-nothing approach.
Yesterday I went to the hospital to see our injured friends. For
a whole hour, the hospital administration refused to file a police
report even though it had admitted four individuals who were clearly
beaten. Finally, one of the injured, Kerob Ghazaryan, telephoned the
police and reported what had happened to him.
This entire situation goes to show that there will be no
accountability.
http://hetq.am/eng/news/58370/head-of-karabakh-opposition-party-artsakh-authorities-are-competing-to-win-favor-of-president-sargsyan.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF33yx8jpo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF33yx8jpo#t=163