When eyewitnesses are actually the guilty ones, and have gone missing...

The trial of Davit Kiramijyan and Sargis Gevorgyan continued on August 26, but these aren't their pictures... Why do I have these pictures here? The pictures were taken during the May 31 events near Liberty Square when police attacked peacefully gathered citizens. The Tadevosyans (brother and sister on the left)and Ruben Ayvazyan (on the Right) were there, too. But in what capacity? These three are eyewitnesses in the case against the defendants, but failed to show up to court... Not something new in Armenia these days, eyewitnesses seem fail to show more often than they actually show up in cases against opposition activists. But there's even more.


Among the many detentions/forced trips to the police station that occurred over those few days (May 31 was the 3rd or 4th day in a series), at least three individuals were kept for three days (including Ani Gevorgyan and Sargis Gevorgyan), and one of them, Davit Kiramijyan, was kept in detention for over a month. For what? Supposed hooliganism, violence against a government representative, public disturbance... But how did any of that, how did the scuffle which undoubtedly occurred, come to pass?

On June 16, Haykakan Zhamanak published an article which answers this question. Were Varazdat Tadevosyan, his sister Lusine Tadevosyan, and Ruben Ayvazyan mere passer-by's who got entangled and fell victim to a scuffle? It turns out that the two of them at least may have initially presented themselves to reporters as members of the Ombudsman's office, this was however denied by the Ombudsman (aka DollarArmen) in a letter to Police Chief Alik Sargsyan. The two young men, Davit Tadevosyan and Ruben Ayvazyan, were actually arrested as well - they were released on July 3, and further pursuit of the charges against them were dropped. And, as per HZH, these two likely provided, along with the testimony of Lusine Tadevosyan, as alleged eyewitnesses, everything the police needed to charge the oppositionist youth.

The HZH article goes on, though. And it points out in detail how these three actually incited the scuffles and altercations which occurred, all of which can be seen on video footage of the incident: how Lusine Tadevosyan attaked Ani Gevorgyan, how Ruben Ayvazyan and Varazdat Tadevosyan incited arguments with journalists, how Varazdat Tadevosyan tried to stop Ani Gevorgyan from taking pictures, and how the final scuffle which resulted in Davit Kiramijyan being taken away, was actually incited by Davit Tadevosyan... HZH goes on to point out just how convenient it is that the arguments incited by the Tadevosyans and Ayvazyan are always in perfect view of the camera.

I couldn't find the part about the Ombudsman anywhere other than on HZH. I did find several articles (Zhamanak, Aysor) noting that Kiramijyan thought that Varazdat Tadevosyan was part of the police force, which would seem to be the case for those who have watched the videos and followed this story at all. The police often have plainclothes members either beating protesters, hauling them off, or inciting disputes - and watching the videos, you can tell who's who. Plainclothes police stand mingled in to uniformed police, or off to the side or behind the police, coming forward and becoming active when necessary.

And now, the Tadevosyans and Ayvazyan, on whose testimony the case is based almost entirely, are not showing up to court (there is also a Lilit Gevorgyan named, but I'm not sure who she is). They apparently sent word that they were out of the country, but there was no proof of this. Now, the plan is to arrest them and bring them to court.

What a farce. None of it new, and unfortunately none of it surprising. But still, just ridiculous. Just more ways of continuing the intimidation, trying to keep the show going while the theater is on fire, and everyone quiet...

Let's not forget that former political prisoner Vardges Gaspari was not allowed into the courtroom, and neither was Sargis Gevorgyan's own mother. Gaspari was forcibly removed while he practiced civil disobedience - he received several bruises and other injuries while doing so.

Another shooting in the Army

From RFE/RL on 25 August, 2010...

"The Armenian military confirmed on Tuesday reports of yet another non-combat shooting within its ranks that left one soldier dead... In a written statement, Armenia’s Defense Ministry said Sergeant Arsen Chobanian, 26, was shot dead by a fellow serviceman last week at an army outpost guarding an unspecified section of the Armenian-Azerbaijani border..."

Why did this come out only yesterday?

You must be kidding me...

Maybe once I regain my composure after reading this, I'll explain...
From Aravot.am

ՄԱՐՏԻ 1-ԻՆ ՀԱՐՁԱԿՎԵԼ ԵՆ ԱՆԶԵ՞Ն ՈՍՏԻԿԱՆՆԵՐԻ ՎՐԱ

Երեկ «Ռեգնում»-ին տված հարցազրույցում ՀՅԴ խմբակցության քարտուղար Արտյուշա Շահբազյանը համոզմունք է հայտնել, թե 2008 թվականի մարտի 1-2-ի դեպքերի ողջ պատասխանատվությունն ընդդիմությանն է, որն այն ժամանակ ֆինանսավորվում էր Արեւմուտքի կողմից. «Լեւոն Տեր-Պետրոսյանը կազմակերպեց ուժային դիմադրություն, եւ տեղի ունեցավ ընդհարում ոստիկանության հետ: Եթե «Մոլոտովի կոկտեյլներով» եւ մահակներով զինված մարդիկ չհարձակվեին ոստիկանների վրա՝ այդ ամենը չէր լինի: Մենք դատապարտեցինք ոստիկանների գործողությունները, բայց նրանք Ազատության հրապարակ էին մտել անզեն, իսկ նրանց վրա հարձակվեցին: Ժողովրդի ձեռքը փաստորեն զենք դրեցին»:
ՀԱԿ առաջնորդին քննադատել է նաեւ ՀՅԴ խմբակցության ղեկավար Վահան Հովհաննիսյանը՝ ՀՀՇ համագումարում նրա ելույթի մասին «Ազատություն» ռ/կ-ին ասելով. «Բոլոր նրանք, ովքեր հիշում են 90-ական թվականների Լեւոն Տեր-Պետրոսյանին, ոչ մի նոր բան չլսեցին: Բացարձակապես պարտվողական դիրքորոշում էր, ընդ որում՝ պարտվողական ոչ միայն թուրքերի ու ադրբեջանցիների, բայց նաեւ իշխանությունների նկատմամբ: Հիմնականում ելույթը կրկնում է «Սերգո ջան, լավ չես ապրելու, մինչեւ Ղարաբաղի հարցում զիջումներ չանենք»:

Arshaluys Hakobyan has passed away

It was reported today in several Armenian newspapers that Arshaluys Hakobyan, a human rights defender in Armenia, and member of the Armenian Helsinki Association, has passed. His cause of death is unknown, though lragir reports he had some type of lung infection or pneumonia.
From Tert.am:

Hacobyan was arrested after on 31 May 2009 he participated in the municipal elections in Yerevan in the capacity of observer.
Accusations were brought against him according to Article 316, part 1 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (Showing Resistance against the Law Enforcement Bodies).
Human rights defenders say that he was subjected to torture while kept in detention in the police.
On October 16, 2009, the Court of First instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Communities of Yerevan released him on bail. Later in February Mr Hakobyan was acquitted.

I remember his name well, as I included him in my video (second one on the right) on the violence and human rights abuses of the state against the citizens, including reporters and journalists, of Armenia.

I hope for him, his family, and the nation, that his death cannot be tied in anyway to the abuses against him, or his time in prison. I do, however, fear that this may be the case. I hope we will have more answers soon.

May he, too, rest in peace.

Letter Regarding Karo Ayvazyan

This video is an interview with Karo Ayvazyan's mother, available only in Armenia.(link to video)

Almost one week ago, I received an email from a friend of Karo Ayvazyan, the Armenian conscript who supposedly shot five members of the army, and then shot himself. As the story has unfolded, what is the most common version is that a friend of his had fallen asleep in the trenches, and was found by two higher ranking officers, who then began to verbally assault him. Karo then allegedly shot those two, two others who came running at the noise, his friend, and himself.
Now, the story raises a lot of questions without even the next part, which is that Karo apparently had been in the US before. He has been arrested multiple times, on charges related to narcotics and guns. And therefore,by Armenian law, due to his repeat violations, he should have been exempt from his otherwise required military service. The family claims that despite their efforts to bring his prior record to the attention of military officials, they were ignored.
Which brings us back to this letter. I cannot attest to or verify the author of it, its authenticity, or truth in its content. If only just one tenth of it is true, it raises a lot of questions. I am making it available in full here,and in parts below (though many important parts I did not reproduce below):

I knew Karo Ayvazyan personally since last summer. He was not the type to commit suicide. He was a fearless brave daring guy who was convicted in America for beating up cops...
...Karo was very mild-mannered and he was respectful of other people but he also would not tolerate anyone trampling on his dignity or the dignity of the people he cared about. He gave you respect and expected the same from you, but if you phucked with him then you were dead meat. He was a loyal faithful friend and very interesting and in spite of his young age he got along best with older people and hung out with older people. In Armenia he resolved to be free of cocaine and all drugs and to stay clean and do only honest work and business. You never would have gotten the impression that that he had any mental or psychological problem, but on the contrary that he was very mature for his age...
...Although it is being said in the press that he should never have been given a gun, I believe he was the kind of character that could indeed be trusted with a gun. If indeed Karo shot the people he is accused of shooting, then in my opinion they damn well deserved to get shot and I commend Karo for shooting them! ...
...I am very curious to know, however who shot Antranik Sargsyan. I would like to see balistics tests performed on all the bullets recovered from his body and from the other bodies and from Karo's body. The notion that Karo shot himself with his own gun is not only absurd because of the fact that Karo was a fighter for life and survival and not a coward of any sort who would be afraid of being prosecuted or even tortured, but also because if he had wanted to commit suicide he could not have done it with the PK machine gun he was issued as it was too long and also because he was out of ammo (as was reported that his magazines were empty) and that he could have committed suicide simply by standing up out of the trenches/bunkers so that the Turks would have a clear shot at him (and they would indeed have fired).

I also want to know who witnessed these events start to finish! Who reported that the officers found one of the soldiers (Antranik Sargsyan) sleeping??? Who reported that the officers berated him???/ Who reported that Karo Ayvazyan began to shoot them for that reason???? If all the witnesses to the event were shot dead, then how could they have reported the history of the incident???!!!!

Karo was a good man and he died a hero and martyr for justice. He will be missed greatly.

Karo Ayvazyan, my good friend, RIP.


Antranik Miranjian
Yerevan, Armenia

No further comment from me at this point. Ponder for yourselves.

Unnecessary deaths in the Armenian Armed Forces

First and foremost, my sincerest condolences to all of the family and friends of those soldiers who died this past week. May they rest in peace.

I'm writing this post late not because I just found out about the recent events, but rather, because I did not, and still do not, know how to say all that I have to say. But after almost one week, I've given up on the hope that if I sit on it, my thoughts will come to order. And so here it goes. (Other bloggers writing in English, including unzipped, ditord, and nazarian had great posts, which I encourage you to read).

I took this photo years ago, probably the late 1990s or so (which may explain why the emblem is different). It was on a military uniform jacket, being sold in one of the open markets in Yerevan, probably more for tourist/diasporan consumption. It was marketable because it personified Armenian military strength and courage, Armenian unity and prowess. Completely outnumbered and underfinanced, Armenia and NK had won a war against Azerbaijan. It was because of our Herculean strength and courage, we wanted to believe. Because of our will. The same will and strength and courage of centuries past, which lives on in songs of Armenian victories against impossible odds. And what else could it have been but those attributes, when our fighters were victorious despite being underfed, frozen, and outnumbered. And the legend lived on...

And so I imagine now that I am a young man doing my required time or serving otherwise in the army- there is probably about a 40-50% chance that I was protesting against the present government just over 2 years ago; it is very possible that someone I know may have been beaten or imprisoned. Maybe I am not politically active for whatever reason, and just think all politics are false pretenses and all politicians are liars - I probably still, in this case, have many questions and concerns about the current situation... And now I serve in an Army where beating conscripts is required, NOT beating them is unacceptable. On many levels, the violence that the authorities were and are willing to perpetrate against their own civilians (via the armed forces, might I add), mirrors the violence that army officials perpetrate against their own soldiers - in fact, any perceived act of insubordination by footsoldiers is met with abuse, and any disagreement or individual opinion from those highly educated is met with "mysterious suicides." I see high-ranking officials with stuffed pockets, and even the Minister of Defense, Seyran Ohanyan*, is reputed to own the Pyramida Complex, which includes a night club with its own "Girls." And when, despite these obstacles, I try to take pride in the Armed forces of my Country, I look to my leadership and government, and there is no hint of true strategy or plan with regards to the NK issue - nothing except that they will do what it takes to keep themselves in power.

I cannot imagine how stressful this must be, and for some, how inhumane the life they lead under these circumstances. I imagine this as the baseline existence for those who serve our country now. It does not take too great a feat of imagination unfortunately, to envision how, under such circumstances, an educated man such as Artak - refusing to give in to pressure to commit violence upon others, to become part of a cycle of violence - could have met with such violence from his own superiors; or how an already unbalanced individuals, whose instability and unfit status to serve was overlooked time and again, could have caused such horrific damage.

I know that abusive behavior in the Armenian Army is not new, though it has definitely not gotten better, and by most accounts, has worsened substantially. And to have the day to day existence described about, makes it only worse - and could not really have come at a worse time. Given that such unnecessary abuse and death in the Armenian army may not be new, the question arises, why is it causing such a ruckus now? I would say for a few reasons- the general social distrust in society which has only strengthened since March 1; the difficult geopolitical moment with NK and foreign entities; the obvious and absolutely heinous reality that seven Armenian soldiers died unnecessarily and for unacceptable reasons; and, at least to some extent, the fact that Artak Nazaryan is the brother of Tsovinar Nazaryan, a well spoken, extremely bright and well-respected young journalist who was studying abroad in the US at the time of her brother's death.

The argument has been put forth by several that I have seen, and undoubtedly countless more (including ditord), that bringing such topics to the forefront is against the best interest of the country. I think it is a valid question that must be asked, however, in the end, I do not believe the premise that discussing openly these unacceptable abuses of power is wrong. As I have nothing too new to add to the arguments already made in the comments section of ditord's blog, I refer you to those. Though, now that I think about it, such arguments, against revealing, discussing and addressing these types of problems, are also used in other cases that are generally considered shameful - domestic violence, HIV, prostitution, poverty, to name a few. They all need to be addressed, in my point of view, without shame, but an open mind, and a hope for a better future for all of us.
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By now, over 50 pieces have probably been written about the death of Artak Nazaryan, and the six who died just a day later (see articles in Hetq, Tert, A1plus, Lragir and Armenian Times, for starters). After the initial reports, a few articles were written that stand out and are very much worth reading, even if only in googletranslate (Բա՛րձր պահեք հայ սպայի պատիվը՝ հեռացե՛ք այս կյանքից,Մի օր պայթելու է, Չի´ կարելի լռել, Ինքնասպան լինեք դո՛ւք, Ինչո՞ւ և ի՞նչ անել, որ «ինչու»-ներ չլինեն). As Unzipped and others have pointed out, there are now several Facebook Groups on the subject: Չի´ կարելի լռել and Սեյրան Օհանյան եւ Ալիկ Սարգսյան՝ ինքնասպան եղե՛ք.
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If we are to see ourselves, and truly be, of Herculean strength, as a nation, a country, and an army, then we have a long way to go. And unless we accept this, we will never get there.

My condolences, again, to the families of the seven lost to us:
Artak Nazaryan,
and
Robert Hovhannisyan, Andranik Sargsyan, Vardges Tadavosyan, Karo Ayvazyan, Garegin Hovsepyan, and Artyom Manasyan
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*The following quote is also attributed to Seyran Ohanyan:

"Any attempt at demonstrating (rallies) will immediately result in adequate and strict reaction by the armed forces."

(March, 2008)
Given his connection to the Pyramida Complex - he will henceforth be known to me as Բուրգի Սեյրանը ("Burgi Seyran - Seyran of the Pyramid")