Mr. Oskanian's interview...

Lragir posted an interview with Mr. Oskanian, mostly about the report that Civilitas published at the end of 2008, but there are some personal notes as well.

Now, Mr. Oskanian does say that "March 1 is one of the most tragic pages of our recent history." And thats all there is specifically about that day, those victims, about that tragedy.

He also states, "The facts that we have are there – that we have political activists who have been behind bars since March 1, who in the opinion of many are there for political reasons, that the trials and the general political environment around these cases is a matter of serious concern for the public and for the international community." And that's all there is about political prisoners.

But, hold on. Here's what is most important to Mr. Oskanyan:
"I had expressed my personal concern about these events months ago. The situation at PACE was the basis of my concern. Armenia was threatened by the loss of voice in that body. That alone worries me a great deal."
This is was is the BASIS of his concern. There may be many pro-oppositionists, including myself, who would like PACE to sanction Armenia, and one of the criticisms there is that Armenia should not be searching for external intervention, but should solve its own problems - which I agree would be ideal. But my main concern is not PACE - PACE is a mechanism. The main BASIS for my concern is the lack of fundamental freedoms in Armenia, lack of Democracy, and Political Prisoners.
And even if you want to argue that by not sanctioning Armenia, PACE holds more power by holding the axe over the authorities heads - even then the argument stands. The concern should be the lack of change, the continued violence and intimidation. The concern should be that authorities have not changed enough to warrant moving that axe away from their heads.

Specifically of interest to me was that he states that he could "express [his] opinion on any matter" precisely because he had made the decision to leave government, even before the events of March 1.

If that is the case, why is he, even to this day, so careful about his wording, about whom he offends, and how "balanced" he is. There is always a balancing game that is played in politics. But no independent, pro-democracy, pro-human rights institution or individual has the viewpoint, or even the cautiousness, that he does in his language. In fact, a number of government-employed individuals, Parliamentarians within, Ambassadors outside, of Armenia, and others, lost that positions and their livelihoods because they spoke out against what was happening. Mr. Oskanyan has apparently already said he was leaving, so he could say what he truly believed... and what did he say that was so outspoken??

I guess he doesn't want to burn any bridges.... or at least a specific few... with those who hold the power...

[picture is from the lragir article]