I am policeman number 9384, I have no name

From 8-10 pm on Friday June 18, several hundred (a1plus figure) to 500 (RFE/RL figure) gathered at the Aram Khatchatryan statue in/near Liberty Square. The organizers of the sit-in had applied for a permit for the peaceful gathering, but it had been rejected, as was the appeal. Feeling that the rejected by City Hall itself was illegal, the sit-in was held anyway. From what I remember, initially no reason was given, then the reason was that there was already an event planned for the area. As Zurabyan made clear at the sit-in, it turns out that Kindergarten heads across the city were directed to bring their pupils to Liberty Square, in essence to make it look like something really was going to happen, and the Square really would be busy. As he points out, this is basically using the kids as a shield - there are a number of levels of sad irony in that truth...

A number of things were different about this sit-in. In no specific order: it was not at the Matenadaran, it was at Liberty Square; it was held even without official permission; many of the leaders of the opposition movement, including those who had been political prisoners because of the March 1-2, 2008 events, were there; people actually SAT...

There was apparently quite a large police presence, as tweeted by Onnik Krikorian:

The amount of police around Liberty Square in Yerevan is ridiculous, it has to be said... #Armenia

The police started speaking through the megaphone at some point, and that's when the a1plus video gets to be really good. The policeman speaking is either on some weird medicine, has no humanity, or has basically become a robot spokesperson for the authorities above him, as we know happens with many good humans who are faced with orders from authorities from on high, especially when their livelihood depends on it. He basically says that what the people are doing is illegal, it is a disruption of the public order, etc... But it is not what he is saying that caught my attention - he is merely repeating what he has been told to say calmly, so that it seems to outsiders that the police and the regime actually are trying to reform and improve... But this guy is beyond calm, he speaks as though his soul has been sucked out of him, like a robot... He may as well be saying something like...

"I am robot #9384. I was told to buy cheese. I need to buy cheese. Cheese is made from milk. I must get cheese."
or
"I am policeman #9384. I was told to be calm. I am calm. Therefore I look calm. This will appease my chief. See, I am calm."

And if the following came out of his mouth, I would not be so surprised...

"That is a water drop on the human's face. It must be a tear. The human is small, it is perhaps a child. A child with a tear. It perhaps is a sad child, then."

But, really, the best part is when Vladimir Karapetyan goes up to the policemen with the megaphone, and starts doing what appears to be a newscast on them, pointing to them and explaining what they are doing, that what they are doing is instigation, since the police know well that the sit-in ends in 45 minutes, and the only reason they are doing what they are doing is to try to stop others from joining the sit-in. He is dressed and acts like a newscaster, reporting on an crazy tornado or volcano, on some horrible plan crash or incredible human feat - as though the police themselves and their actions are the event for the evening. It is in fact the behavior of the police and the regime that is the aberration, the abnormal, and jaw-dropping.

HRW letter to Sargsyan on Media Freedoms

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH has issued a statement (below)regarding recent amendments which would severely restrict even further media freedoms... For those who aren't up to date on this, Pashinyan explains exactly how the amendment is so limiting in one of his editorials.

------

Dear President Sargsyan,

Human Rights Watch is writing to express its concern regarding the negative impact on media pluralism and public access to diversity of information and opinion in Armenia, recent amendments to the "Law on Television and Radio," are likely to have. We urge you to refrain from signing the law and instead return it to the National Assembly and urge them to continue their deliberations with the aim of bringing any and all amendments into compliance with Armenia's international obligations on freedom of expression.

While we appreciate the government's intent to regulate Armenia's ongoing transition to mandatory digital broadcasting, it is unfortunate that the rushed legislative process did not allow for full incorporation of concerns expressed by civil society and Armenia's international partners, including the Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe (OSCE).

We are first concerned that the amendments to the law will reduce the number of television stations able to broadcast in Armenia from 22 to 18. The changes in the legislation could have created room for more actors to participate in provision of media facilitated by digitalization, yet reducing the number of television broadcasters poses the opposite risk of limiting media pluralism. There is a serious concern that the reduction in available television stations may particularly disadvantage new television broadcasters, especially as the amendments indicate that preference in future licensing competitions should be given to existing broadcasters or those with at least three years' experience.

Armenia's civil society members and international partners have also criticized numerous other aspects of the amendments, including the failure to require the National Television and Radio Commission (NTRC) to provide explanations for its decisions to reject broadcasting license applications, which would increase transparency of the licensing process. The amendments also do not address long-standing concerns that the law does not ensure pluralism in the selection and appointment of members of the National Television and Radio Commission (NTRC), which is responsible for the granting of licenses.

In a welcome step, during the final reading of the law the National Assembly convened a working group to revise the law which included non-governmental organizations and opposition parliamentarians. However, the rushed legislative process did not allow for a thorough public discussion of the draft. On June 10, a group of Yerevan-based ambassadors of European countries urged the Armenian government to "continue working closely with civil society, the Council of Europe and OSCE experts with a view to bringing the law further into line with international standards." However, the National Assembly adopted the bill in an emergency session later that same night.

The draft Law on Television and Radio was developed by the Armenian Ministry of Economy and adopted by the National Assembly in the first reading on May 20th. Armenia was obliged to amend the law on Television and Radio following a June 2008 European Court of Human Rights judgment finding Armenia in violation of Article 10 (Freedom of Expression) as a result of the NTRC's repeated denials of a broadcast license to A1+, an independent television station. The court found that the Armenian legislature did not provide sufficient protection against an arbitrary decision of the licensing authorities. A1+ was taken off the air in April 2002 and has not been able to resume broadcasting despite the ECtHR judgment.

In the interest of ensuring Armenia's full compliance with the ECtHR judgment and protecting media pluralism, we urge you to use your discretionary power and veto the amendments to the Law On Television and Radio. We strongly hope that the National Assembly will heed the concerns of Armenia's civil society, the OSCE, and others and make the necessary changes to bring the legislation fully into line with Armenia's international obligations.

Sincerely,

Holly Cartner

Executive Director, Europe and Central Asia Division

Regime has its own "NGO's"

Thanks to Twitter, I heard about a recent conference/event Civilitas had on NGO's and civil society organizations in Armenia. A couple of the tweets* specifically caught my eye, so I've been looking around - not only were the tweets confirmed, but I found some more very interesting stuff...

The tweets led me to the Civilitas site, which has a very toned down article on what sounds like was quite an interesting and even fiery conversation. The tweets also led me to google some of the speakers who made interesting comments, including Stepan Danielyan from the Partnership for Democracy. That let me this article on a1plus, which confirmed the tweets:

According to Stepan Danielyan, the authorities are often the ones creating NGOs to use them against the society and those NGOs are the ones receiving 80% of grants in Armenia.
Writer, publicist Marine Petrosyan noted that the society must gain from NGOs, but in Armenia it is the opposite. The NGOs are legitimized by the authorities, the government and, more often, from abroad.

Now, this reminded me of a blog post I did on a supposed NGO called Free Society Institute, one which has been an "observer" in elections in Armenia of late and has called them legal and up to normal standards; a member of which once threatened physical violence against a journalist at a polling station; one which I in fact tried to contact as I wanted more information about them, especially as I had read and heard that they were actually just a fake NGO set up by the regime - they never wrote me back, they still haven't.

Civilitas has started a new initiative in trying to catalogue and connect NGOs, which is a great idea. Included in the catalogue, as of two or weeks ago, is this Free Society Institute, and the contact email is edgarrhakobyan@yahoo.com, which is exactly the same email I wrote to back in January - the email is valid now as it was then. I guess they just didn't want to write back.

What's ironic is that Civilitas itself (in my opinion) is one of these organizations - claiming to be something it is not. I won't belabor the point as I have made my opinions and reasoning clear in past blog posts. But here's the short of it: How do you talk of Civil Society, without talking about Human Rights, and how do you talk about Human Rights if you don't address free speech and press? And as Amnesty International put in a recent Tweet, "Human rights must be at the centre of efforts to eradicate poverty."

Why would the regime do such things? Well, it allows them to control not only grant finances coming in to the country, but also allows them to guide and limit what directions are taken and progress (if any) is made. Not to mention that having so many NGO's, some trustworthy some not, makes it difficult for the average Armenian citizen to tease out the true ones from the bunch - thus, in effect, drowning them all out, encouraging feelings of distrust, disinterest and disengagement on the part of citizens towards NGOs, rather than the opposite. They've used similar strategies with misinformation and disinformation of news and events, so this is no surprise.

And as a cherry on top, I just saw that Civilitas is promoting Asbarez as a news source for the Armenian Diaspora. It doesn't get much more ARF than that in terms of publications. I suppose in return Asbarez will publicize Civilitas and promote the priorities (read 'diversionary tactics') of Civilitas over the next few years, until at least the next elections...

I wonder if Oskanyan will go on another book tour soon...

[*Addendum: The original tweets were sent out by Lara Aharonian (Lara-Aha) during the event itself]

Armenia's Police Digging for Excuses

The police seem to really be digging for anything to charge the protesters, especially Ani Gevorgyan, with, these days. And they seem to have really put in a lot of work in trying to convince anyone around that their own actions, violence and arrests are justified.

I took many long looks at the video posted on police.am of the protests over the last weekend of May. First of all, the fact that these incidents were important enough for them to put together a video, with a voice over, AND then, post it on their website just below their police video, is a sign of just how hard they're trying to justify themselves, and really, just how scared they are. What are they scared of?... In Bazaz's own words

“Large numbers of people must not gather here. If 100, 150 or 200 persons gather here today, this square will become a rally site tomorrow.”

The video they posted is a series of clips from May 29 and May 31- and the only reason I know that is because some of the clips have a date and time at the bottom left, some don't.

Now, Ani is charged with assaulting an officer, but where is the proof?? The video clip, which seems to be offered up as some type of evidence, shows her knocking a hat off of a policeman's head - but no contact with his head, or any other part of his body. Where's the assault?

That portion of the video is not dated, but it is embedded in videos that are from May 31. Yet, it is impossible that that video is from May 31. On May 31, Ani was wearing a RED shirt, but in the video where she knocks off the hat, she is wearing a BLACK shirt. So when is it that video from? Do the police even know?


And, if that video is not from the 31st, it must be from before then, since she was arrested on the 31st. Why didn't they arrest her before, if it happened before? If she hit a police officer on May 31, then it makes sense that they would arrest her on May 31. But I can't find what day she supposedly committed this alleged assault- maybe its somewhere, in some article, but I can't find it. Do the police even know?But all video footage of May 31, from a1plus and azatutyun, show her on the sidelines, camera in her right hand (attached to a right arm in a RED sleeve) in the air, doing her job as a photojournalist. Still no proof of assault.

It seems to me the police went back over their videos and tried to look for something, anything, to charge her on. They came up with this video, that has no date, and threw it in among videos from May 31, to make it look like she was arrested that day she knocked the hat off, to try to justify their own actions.

[Top photo is of Davit Kiramijyan, who remains in prison on charges of hooliganism, from a1plus]

Alik Sargsyan: drop the charges, resign, and go - and take your little gang with you

These are pictures of Sargis Gevorgyan, Ani Gevorgyan, and Davit Kiramijyan. These three were arrested on May 31 after being present during a peaceful protest in Liberty Square (well, at least it started out that way until the police got involved, as usual). Ani Gevorgyan, in fact, is a photojournalist, and her presence in that regard is protected by numerous international human rights laws. Not to mention that the rights of Sargis Gevorgyan and Davit Kiramijyan, and any other citizens, to be present peacefully in Liberty Square is protected by law. Of course, laws, human rights, and logic don't mean much these days under the present regime.

For those not familiar with the system, this is how it works in Armenia. If you piss off a policeman (or policewoman, for that matter), you can be taken in for questioning to the police station - questioning regarding your identity, address, and apparently other basic such information. By the end of three hours, you need to either be released, or charged and arrested. If they charge/arrest you, they can keep you up to 72 hours. By the end of 72 hours, a court decides whether you will stay in detention until your trial (pre-trial detention), be released with travel restrictions and bail, or have all the charges dropped. The pre-trial detention can supposedly be for up to two months, but can be postponed an unlimited number of times, from what I understand.

So, while I am very happy that Ani and Sargis Gevorgyan have been released, the following is true:

1. None of them should have been taken in, arrested or detained, at all;
2. ALL three still have charges against them, and will have to go to court;
3. Davit Kiramijyan is STILL in pre-trial detention

As far as I am concerned, the charges against these individuals, and their detentions, are not only unjust, but completely illegal, as is the persistent violent and aggressive behavior of the RA police against the citizens of Armenia, and the continued attempts at keeping opposition members out of Liberty Square.

And it seems that numerous international and national organizations feel the same way, as several statements have been released which express the same fundamental sentiment.

Kiramijyan needs to be released - but that is only the tip of the iceberg. The charges need to be dropped. Alik Sargsyan(for yet one more reason) needs to resign.

Alik, just go, and take the rest of this banditocracy with you, and don't forget your red berets, your plainclothesed minions, and your snipers. But, maybe, actually, leave Bazaz, because I think maybe he just needs a hug, or a lollipop, or maybe Unzipped has figured something out.

[permission obtained for photo]

Statement on arrest of Ani Gevorgyan

Update: See the official statement in defense of Ani Gevoryan by the Committee to Project Journalists .

Haykakan Zhamanak has put out a statement regarding the arrest of Ani Gevorgyan:

STATEMENT ON THE ARREST OF ANI GEVORGYAN,
JOURNALIST, THE ARMENIAN TIMES DAILY

On May 31, 2010, Ms. Ani Gevorgyan, journalist of Haykakan Zhamanak (The Armenian Times; www.armtimes.com) daily was apprehended in Freedom Square in the center of Yerevan, while performing her professional duties. Ani Gevorgyan was covering an act of resistance initiated by young activists of the Armenian National Congress.

Later that day, Ani Gevorgyan was charged with Part 1, Article 316 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia, "Violence against a State representative." As of today, June 2, 2010, no detail or visual evidence has been provided by the Police regarding the alleged violence by the 23-year old journalist against the police.

During the same act of protest, two other young female journalists were subjected to compulsory appearance to the police department - Suzanna Poghosyan from Haykakan Zhamanak daily and Lilit Tadevosyan from Hayq daily, were subjected to compulsory appearance. The latter two were released within a couple of hours.

The Editorial staff and management of Haykakan Zhamanak daily consider that:

- Violence against journalists and against young women is unacceptable;

- Ani Gevorgyan's arrest is an act of revenge by the head of the Police of Armenia (Mr. Alik Sargsyan), because Ani Gevorgyan is the journalist responsible for the coverage of activities of the RA Police and the National Security Service, among others. In particular, last week Ms. Gevorgyan published two articles that covered the production of a video clip devoted to the police and revealed fraud related to the production of that clip.

- The arrest of journalist Ani Gevorgyan is a violation of the Law of the Republic of Armenia “On dissemination of mass information" (Article 4. Guarantees for the freedom of speech in the sphere of media), which stipulates, inter alia, that "When conducting his or her lawful professional activities, a journalist, as a person performing a social duty, shall be protected by the legislation of the Republic of Armenia", and which prohibits "interfering with lawful professional activities of a journalist."

- Violence against Ani Gevorgyan and her subsequent arrest violate the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia (Article 164. Obstructing lawful professional activities of a journalist), which stipulates that "1. Obstructing lawful professional activities of a journalist, or forcing the journalist to disseminate information or not to disseminate information, is punished with a fine in the amount of 200-400 times the minimum salary. 2. The same actions committed by an official abusing his or her official position, is punished with a fine in the amount of 400-700 times the minimum salary, or imprisonment for a term of up to 3 years, by deprivation of the right to hold certain posts or practice certain activities for up to 3 years, or without such deprivation."

Therefore,

We demand that the Police and the authorities of Armenia,

- immediately release Ani Gevorgyan, Haykakan Zhamanak daily journalist;

- stop criminal persecution against Gevorgyan and bring to justice the police officers who exceeded their powers.
--------------------------

So - what's all the fuss? What are these videos that Ani wrote about? She wrote an article noting the incredible similarities between the newly produced RA police hymn and accompanying video, to the not as new hymn and video of the police of the Georgian Republic. She also points out the massive misrepresentations in the armenian version. Unfortunately the piece is not yet available in English, though as Ani Wandaryan points out in my prior post, the google translate version isn't half bad (here).
Both videos are available online, and I've posted them here (thanks again to Ani W. for both the idea, and sources for the videos). Judge for yourselves.

Georgian Video Armenian Video

And to top it off, here is the video of Ani Gevorgyan being taken off by the police (first several minutes of video):



The Committee to Protect Journalists has an article on their website regarding her arrest - here is an excerpt:

“Based on the video and accounts provided by her editor, we’re deeply skeptical of the police allegations against Ani Gevorgian. The evidence indicates that she was at the rally doing her job,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “We join with our Armenian colleagues in calling for Gevorgian’s release.”

If you use twitter, and tweet about any issue related to her, please attach the hashtag #AniG... Each new hashtag seems to be a step further from democracy - #March1, #Pashinyan, #Khalafyan, #AniG, #DollarArmen, #NonuthinAlik #humanrights #Bazaz... hopefully soon new hashtags will actually be a positive thing...

Alik Sargsyan's most fearsome foe: she who carries the camera, the pen, and a brain

Attempts by opposition demonstrators to peacefully just exist, sit, or just walk in the newly re-opened Liberty Square continued after May 29, despite attempts by the RA police and red berets and other such characters to stop them. On May 31, according to various reports, somewhere between tens to 100 demonstrators were present, and approximately 17 individuals were taken into custody, including SDHP chairwoman Lyudmila Sargsyan. 3 of those 17 were reporters, two from HZH and one from Hayk. Ani Gevorgyan, a photojournalist from HZH was one of those three, she was later arrested, she remains in police custody.

She is about 22 or 23 years old per reports. She is charged with hitting one of the police in the face, but per a witness statement in a video taken during the clashes with police, she is the one who got hit - another of the banditocracy's favorite techniques: figure out what they were going to say about you, and turn it around. In fact, it seems she was picked out in advance, as the video records one of the police saying “this is that very journalist.”

Now, why would the RA police and red berets and the rest of that posse (since they are exactly that, a posse) want to persecute this young woman? Just take a look at her recent writings - in addition to working for HZH, a strongly pro-opposition newspaper, whose editor-in-chief is Nikol Pashinyan - she has been writing about Alik Sargsyan, and the RA police. Most recently she commented on just how similar the video for the RA police is to the video for the Georgian police.

On a side note, the police and red berets and the rest of them have somehow decided that undercover, plainclothes police are the way to go in these situations (one of their older strategies). I'm not sure why, since they're easy to pick out - watch any of the videos and within seconds its clear who is who. I wonder if it is for photos, so it appears that there are fewer law enforcement, or to mislead people, or something else entirely.

If I have some time, I'll start a nice little collage of the cops in plainclothes, just so they don't feel underappreciated. We wouldn't want that, now would we?


For more reading: Tert
HZH "Once bit, twice shy", HZH "Revenge"
ArmeniaNow, A1plus "Alik Sargsyan's Revenge"
RFE/RL

Soon it may be illegal to sit... at all, anywhere in Armenia

UPDATE: On May 29, Vardges Gaspari was taken into police custody (from RFE/RL, Arm. only). I have not yet seen any more information of his further detainment or release, though there were initial assurances by police that he would be released quickly.



With the completion of the underground parking lot under Liberty Square, the Square itself is now open, has been open, for a few days.
And on May 28, a small group of opposition activists, including Vardges Gaspari (known for his sit-ins) and Tigran Arakelyan (both former political prisoners), Vladimir Karapetyan of HAK and others of the HAK youth, chose to express their basic and supposedly 'protected' rights of freedom of speech, expression, and gathering.

But that is not protected in Armenia. And especially not in Liberty Square.

Just how scared must this regime be, that it seems within minutes not only police, but red berets, had swarmed around those sitting, and had starting not only arguing, but grabbing, pushing and shoving those seated and walking around. There are two videos that I've seen (a1plus and rfe/rl).

The number of police and red berets that are present is unbelievable. And the more people sit, the more the police and red berets become agitated, trying to remove them, and even trying to provoke the protesters, with grabbing, twisting and shoving. One segment shows a police officer repeatedly pushing Tigran Arakelyan, whose clearly visible hands are not even near the policeman. When they threaten to arrest Vardges Gaspari, he offers them his wrists - they clearly don't know what to do with that response, and later, he lays down, holding his protest sign to his chest. The police and red berets are unable to actually explain WHY they are trying to remove the protesters, unable to answer what law is being breached by having individuals sit on the ground, except for one time, when a red beret says "because it is an 'action' [political action or act]".

Vladimir Karapetyan points out to one of the police, that one month ago, we gathered, and there were no problems. We gathered, many people, and there was no problem. The policeman is completely confused, and says when? April 6, Karapetyan answers. Which of you [police] were here? Not a single one of you, because you were at home, with your families and children. And everything was normal, calm. Because there were no police. The response: a moment of a befuddled blank look, and then back to... You have to leave this area.... Back to playing the broken record they're ordered to... For those who don't remember, that's when FIDH was in Yerevan, and ended up joining the peaceful protest.

I watched the video, and wondered, where oh where is my Bazaz? I thought maybe he was trying to hide in the shadows, until I paid closer attention. Early in the a1plus segment, Vladimir Karapetyan gets shoved by someone, and then says "Mr. Melkonyan..." And, in fact, it is he, my Bazaz, stomping around like a rooster who has had too much coffee, ordering the removal of this person, shoving that person, yelling at this policeman, grabbing another protester... more stomping, and ordering of more backup ("Get ten people and come over"), and more stomping.

Bazaz, jan, no brown suit (that you were wearing that day), or black, or grey, or even pink, can mask your essence, can hold back your true feelings, so you may as well wear your army fatigues or police uniform. But, if you're going for a new look, may I suggest a pink silk shirt with white cuffs and collar, I hear it is all the rage in Yerevan these days.

Armenia's Oligarchs - New Pokemon Characters, or, Agents of Insanity?

Haykakan Zhamanak (Armenian Times) recently had an article called "They tried to fabricate a criminal case against Levon Ter-Petrossian." The picture that went with it is the one I've posted here.

What is notable here, aside from the article itself, is the immediate reaction to the photograph itself. The armenian version of the article had the following as the first comment (which is echoed in a later one as well):

Հարգելի խմբագրություն.....սրա նկարը մի տպեք... ՄԵՂՔ ԵՆՔ։ Նորմալ մարդիք եք...սադիստությաուն մի արեք, այս ԱՆԱՍՈՒՆԻՆ քիչ տպագրեք, միայն սրա լկտի տեսքից մարդ հոգեկան խանգարում կստանա։

Which translates roughly into:

Dear editors... don't post this guy's picture... HAVE SOME PITY (ON US). You're normal people... don't be sadistic, print few [pictures] of this dumb brute, just the sight of his depraved look is enough to cause psychiatric problems

Blogger Svejk notes in the article comments and on his blog that the picture reminds him of some cartoon he can't quite remember, and later realizes that it reminds him of Pokemon characters. It does kind of look like this one, which I found on the web:


So, for anyone who was considering doing an informal survey of what people think of these guys... you've got a good place to start right here:

These guys may be shoo-ins for the next, newest, and bestest ever Pokemon characters, now from the Caucasus...

So powerfully crazy and crazily powerfuly that just a look drives you insane!

Cosmonauts wear pink

I was about to comment on today's Dodi Gago Cosmonaut article in HZH - it seems others made the connection as well...
Someone please tell why and how on earth (no pun intended) an oligarchic party leader who is part of the ruling coalition of what is basically a police state got a medal named for a cosmonaut, and that for:

"making large personal contributions to help keep the reputation and fame of cosmonautics high in CIS countries"

The best part in the article is:

"According to some unspecified information, Gagik Tsarukyan is building a spacecraft in the basement of his palace in Arinj which he will present to “NASA” (USA) for free, and thus will be the first man to go to Mars. Quite seriously."

As GoldenTent noted on Twitter, "Now we know where he buys shirts!"

And as Nazarian pointed out in the comment in the prior post:
"It's the distinctive color pattern of the outfits that the Armenian cosmonauts wear.
Հայ կոսմոնավտները վարդագույն են հագնում:"

Hey, maybe he didn't want to be a Human Rights lawyer when he was younger. Maybe he wanted to be a cosmonaut, and still does!

Really... what is going on here???

Oooow, it hurts my eyes!!!

I just can't get enough of this picture. I saw it first on Haykakan Zhamanak/Armenian Times, almost fell out of my chair, and haven't been able to get it out of my mind. Dodi Gago's shirt has bored a permanent hole in my memory.

Its not just the pink, not just the fact it is so shiny it creates a glare, or the white collar and sleeves, or the subtle light and dark pink stripes in the fabric (apparent only to those who take the time, and care enough, to look). Its all of it.

It's that a man, who is a well known oligarch and businessman, per rumor involved in various type of questionable activities, the leader of a political party, and not a petite man at that (the only thing petite might be the height of his neck, but not the width), is wearing that shirt.

There are all kinds of styles out there, and I dont have a problem with any of them. And all over the world men wear pink regardless of sexual orientation, that's not the issues either. Like I said, its all of it together.

Maybe its because deep down I'd like to believe that despite all evidence to the contrary, he has a delicate soul; that deep down he hates big brawn and truly appreciates fine art; that he dislikes big business and wants to live as a hermit with a vow of silence in the mountains of Armenia; that he likes to watch rainbows and kittens, and would never think of hurting an animal; and that he secretly hates the position he is in and dreamt of being a human rights lawyer when he was a young boy.

On Civilitas, Oskanyan, and Meghri...

Now, I've put up a number of posts in the past about my, shall we say skepticism, regarding Oskanyan, and Civilitas. Putting aside the rampant rumors that Oskanyan wants to, and wanted to, run for president, I've commented mostly on the "irony" of the organization, Civilitas. That is, the selective mutism of the organization regarding the true issues in Armenia today, from the existence of political prisoners, to beating of youth, to the eviction of individuals from their homes, just blocks from the posh Civilitas office- not to mention the absolute silence regarding protest walks that happened just under Civilitas' nose on Northern Avenue. I suppose it is much more comfortable to sit in a nice chair and have a nice debate about what needs to be done and then write a memo about it, but ignore the hard realities that exist... especially when Oskanyan helped create them. Remember, Oskanyan had quite the position of power during Kocharyan's regime, culminating in being his voice, his face, during the March 1 events.

So what's new? There is a blog called Septemberi21, written by Vahagn Ghukasyan, which just recently touched on this topic (Ghukasyan has written a number of booklets, one of which I have the pleasure of owning, on the actions of the corrupt Armenian regime, including October 27).

Ghukasyan, among others, finds himself the recipient of emails from Civilitas - emails with nice, narrative opening letters inviting the recipient to follow links to statements or websites about the activities of Civilitas. And, Ghukasyan's post explains WHY he refuses to follow these links. Civilitas is associated with Oskanyan, he writes, and he considers Oskanyan a traitor. A traitor because of his double-speak, his hypocrisy, and his lies, regarding the potential trade of Meghri, and just how seriously it was considered during the time of Kocharyan-Oskanyan...

...[and this part I'm adding in myself] double-speak, hypocrisy and lies that were a means to an end, to a deal that would serve not the Republic of Armenia, not Nagorno-Kharabakh, not the citizens of Armenia or of NK, but a deal that would serve a corrupt few who had taken Armenia hostage, for their own personal gain...

On another tangent, the list of board members has some interesting names on it. I wonder, did those honorary board members do their research, before joining?

Armenia's Police Reality: Twilight Zone meets Kafka

Arthur Sakunts is a human rights defender who has been very outspoken about the Khalafyan murder. So it is not surprising that the SIS is now trying to blame Sakunts for spreading misinformation to the press.

This just gets more and more ridiculous. From the big-mouthed Alik Sargsyan (follow mention of him on twitter! #nonuthinalik) who can't even offer proper condolences or an apology, to the persistent claim that it was suicide - with all fingerprints wiped off of the knife, no stab wounds in Khalafyan's shirt, two stab wounds to the stomach, magical knowledge and access to a kitchen knife in the room at the police station, knife marks on Khalafyan's chest, and bruising all over his body - and they still want to call it a suicide, to the hasty departure of two of Khalafyan's co-arrestees out of Armenia.

Forced Suicide, maybe. But forced suicide is still Murder, and maybe its even worse.

At the rate this is going, next thing you know they'll be trying to blame Sakunts for what happened to Khalafyan. I'm sure the regime is just looking for any excuse to quiet Sakunts, and throw him in prison (they've done it before - but that's no surprise).

Dear Alik, that is NOT an apology - just stop talking and resign.

Alik Sargsyan, head of the Police of Armenia, is reportedly apologizing - multiple news sources have headline stating that he is apologizing, with regards to the Khalafyan case. But what is he apologizing for?

Once I actually read the texts, I saw no condolences offered. No apology for the beating, torture, death and murder of a young man at the hands of his department. No promise to investigate how such a thing could have happened, or maybe to see if it may have happened before. No talk of how to prevent such things in the future.

What I did see was an apology for spreading disinformation. And promises to punish without pity those who gave him the disinformation. Promises to punish those directly responsible for the violence.

Sorry, but that doesn't cut it, Alik. Where is the apology for the murder of a young man? Where is the apology for fostering an environment that allows and likely encourages such behavior? Where is the apology for just plain out being wrong, if its actually true that you did not know from the very beginning.

That is your department, Alik. You are responsible for knowing what happens, for the environment you foster, for fully researching your facts before you make statements.

Promising punishment, boundless punishment, is just hitting back and passing the buck. It is a perpetuation of violence, not logic or law or justice. Promising punishment to subordinates means those subordinates will pass that on to their own subordinates, and so it goes down the lines. And who gets it in the end? Well, whoever is at the end of the receiving line. And who is that for police? Well, citizens, that's who. And that's probably how we ended up with police killing a common citizen in the first place, not to mention innumerable instances of police beating protesters (including women and the elderly), and March 1.

Alik, you just keep saying the wrong thing at the wrong time, over and over. Open mouth insert foot, again and again.

My suggestion? Stop talking. Just resign.

What a great invitation...

One of Pashinyan's most recent pieces is an open invitation to Armenia's Ombudsman to come visit him in the Nubarashen Penitentiary for a discussion. The piece, not surprisingly, is full of wit, satire, and irony. But mostly an incredible wit.

The only further comment I will make is for clarification purposes. "Dollar Armen" is the well known nickname of Armen Harutyunyan, who is the Human Rights Ombudsman of the Republic of Armenia. Comments and references which bring this into question directly or indirectly in Pashinyan's article are stylistic or for effect, not true questioning. Interestingly enough, until a friend clarified for me, I thought he had earned the nickname due to what some have observed - the progressive increase in quality and presumed price of his suits since after March, 2008. So, in my eyes, at least as reliable as such observations and information are, he's earned the nickname twice, if not thrice. Since, as an Ombudsman, while he has made some moderately strong comments here or there, he's left more unsaid, than said.

And now, without further ado...

Let me see, Now
I wasn’t there, but the brother-in-law of my friend’s nephew, who is the mechanic of one of the carousels located at Monument, once heard a visitor at the carousel recounting to another: during an interview on Shant TV, Nver Mnatsakanyan asked RA Human Rights defender Armen Harutyunyan if there were political prisoners in Armenia. Human rights defender Armen Harutyunyan replied, in an arrogant tone, that of course there were not. This information is supported by another source— by the husband of the aunt of my other friend’s brother-in-law. That means that Armen Harutyunyan really made the statement. So now, when the ombudsman has assumed the responsibility of declaring that there are no political prisoners in Armenia, I find myself asking: Then who am I? Why am I in the “Nubarashen” penitentiary? And then sometimes, when I think about the ombudsman’s statement, I can’t help but wonder: Is it possible that I am a criminal or a swindler? Is it possible that I was once a lecturer and accepted bribes from my students to give them a good grade; and, because I didn’t trust the local currency I accepted bribes in Dollars only, which is why students dubbed me Dollar Armen? Try as I have, I can’t recall that kind of episode in my life, and as far as I remember, Dollar Armen refers to an entirely different person. I wonder where the person known as Dollar Armen is nowadays. Could he be in the cell next to mine? But as far as I was able to determine, there is no such person as Dollar Armen either in the cell next to mine, or in the one facing me or, for that matter, in any other cell, although many here would not mind it if Dollar Armen shows up in their cells, as a prisoner. They say they want to talk to him. But until such time as justice in Armenia reaches Dollar, let’s not digress from our theme. Our theme is human rights defender Armen Harutyunyan’s declaration that there are no political prisoners in Armenia. If Armen Harutyunyan is so convinced that there are no political prisoners in Armenia, then I invite him to meet with me at the “Nubarashen” penitentiary and explain my verdict to me; to enlighten me on the crime I have committed for which I am now in the Nubarashen penitentiary almost as a convict. I will pose only legal questions concerning my verdict, my legal case, the understanding of a political prisoner. But there is one condition: I have no time for pointless drivel and my talk with Armen Harutyunyan, the question and answer session between us would have to be recorded. The human rights defender should agree to the conditions and make sure that the recording will indeed take place. Then, our discussion should appear in the newspapers and the actual recording would be posted on the internet. If he agrees to these conditions then I would really invite him to such an important discussion. Oh, before I forget, I am busy today and tomorrow. So the earliest I can receive the human rights defender is Friday afternoon. In the meantime, I would like to ask those who have information about Dollar Armen to leave a message on my website www.armtimes.com or to send the information to the following address: Office of the Human Rights Defender, 56a Pushkin St., Yerevan. I think the RA human rights defender will offer a generous reward to all those who will help him reveal the identity of Dollar Armen.

NIKOL PASHINYAN

Some basic arithmetic might help

A week or two ago there was an HAK statement regarding the 180 degree turn police took while the FIDH conference was going on. In an attempt to make the police and authorities of Armenia appear to have a developed sense of Human Rights and Democracy, the demonstration and march had a minimal police presence, with no provocations or violent actions. But what it really highlighted boils down to simple arithmetic (maybe some basic algebra is involved):

(1) Police + demonstrators = demonstration + altercations/violence
(as 2 years of demonstrations have shown us)

(2) Demonstrators = demonstration + (- altercations/violence)
(quantity negative/lack of altercations and violence)

If we do the subtraction, we are left with

(3) Police = altercations/violence

But is this really the case? Is this mathematical finding true? Let’s add some recent and past events. I won’t list them, but just a quick stroll through any of the papers or blogs, or Human Rights reports for that matter, shows what seem to be endless lists of police and red berets beating, punching (with brass knuckles at times), pushing, kidnapping, and opening fire on demonstrators. In addition to Levon Gulyan’s apparently curious and accidental death while in police custody, now there is the case of Vahan Khalafyan, who somehow obtained bruises and knife marks on his body and two (assumed) fatal stab wounds to his belly, also while in police custody. His friends were luckier, and were only beaten and threatened with sexual assault. Now, Police Chief Alik Sargsyan said right away that this was suicide, and that there was absolutely no torture involved (how he knew so quickly is unclear). As Alik Sargsyan pointed out, why would you torture someone if they have already confessed (see hnazarian). But just yesterday a policeman was arrested for possibly forcing him to commit suicide (which is just nauseating – see unzipped). Police presence alone is associated with violence. Now, the police themselves don’t understand why anyone would have this impression, as Bazaz so kindly pointed out (see my last post).

So independently of the equations above, we arrive at:

(4) Police=Altercations/Violence

We could even add on a little here. As HAK pointed out, the police are basically the minions of the oligarchs and authorities. And what do the bosses of the police do when left to their own? The same thing. Take last weekend – two gangs basically had a shoot-out. But they weren’t just any gangs, they were actually members of two different political parties. And according to at least one source, it seems at least one high up government official was there too, though it is being denied. And this most recent skirmish was not the only one. So, as the police are actors of the authorities, it makes sense that:

(5) Authorities=Altercations/Violence

And in the end it all fits together. Whether we subtract out equation (2) from equation (1) and get (3), or look at (4) and (5) which were arrived at independently with independent data, we arrive at the same conclusion. It is the police presence, the actors of the authorities, which bring violence. Not the demonstrators, not the
marches.

Not that we didn’t all know this already. The manipulative and violent tactics of the current regime, as well as the desperate measures it is willing to take to buy time while they are in their current quagmire. Unfortunately, it is Human Rights and Democracy in Armenia, and most importantly, the people of Armenia , who have paid the price thus far.

And many in the West who purport to stand for Human Rights and Democracy, used this to their own political ends, and supported and trusted Sargsyan. But now they know the truth firsthand. The top story on rfe/rl today is "Armenia Stall Turkey Deal."

I wonder what comes next…

N.B. But, according to Oskanyan, the main problems in Armenia are the economic and political monopolies. Not lack of Human Rights, Police Violence, or any of that. Wow. At least mention it in there, somewhere, Mr. Oskanyan.

Armenian police, especially Bazaz, have feelings, too!

It seems maybe I've been a bit too harsh on the Armenian police, and Bazaz (aka Robert Melkonyan). In a recent interview on RFE/RL (April 16, 2010, 15:00 broadcast, start at 9:30), Bazaz expressed the following - my rough transcription and translation:

"If a demonstration has been organized, it is my job to keep the public order, and the safety of the participants of the demonstration. When the demonstration is over, we will go observe our [Police] Day.

[Interviewer quotes Melkonyan] We are not what many people imagine us to be. We are people too, with human qualities.

For some reason, certain media try to, want to, constantly make the police out to be violent, boorish, illiterate, incompetent... But if you were to talk to us, you’d see that we have very good specialists, very professional police…

From a young age, they make the children scared of police. [garbled words]they say, I”ll tell the police, and they’ll punish you. For some reason, this type of attitude toward police starts to grow in people from a young age. We don’t know why. And naturally, police prohibit certain actions, which are not allowed.

I myself have been to other places – Denmark, Switzerland, Paris, France – I have seen how the police there disperse their demonstrators. We are very gentle, we are very humane.

It is a natural reaction, with regards to a government official. As a policeman or not, the president of our republic is our president, and I consider hurtful comments about the president to be inappropriate."

Many apologies for failing to empathize with you.
I can't imagine why anyone would think anything negative of the police in Armenia.

On self-restraint, sitting on concrete, and lay-ins

While the FIDH conference was happening, the police tried to behave themselves. They managed to do so on the first day, though they didn't do as well on the second. I imagine folks like Bazaz were bursting at the seams to just go beat up someone, or at least something. But, for those two days, or at least the first one, he just wasn't around. Which may be the only way someone like him can resist abusing and attacking peaceful protesters, by just not being around them.

Soon after, Pashinyan's appeal regarding the January Parliamentary seat election went back to court. Of course, he wasn't allowed to be there - that would just be a crazy idea. Pashinyan's supporters were outside, and it seems the police who were there were probably using one of their new "techniques" to keep the peace: they kept repeating that they were trying to keep things calm, and didn't want disruptions, and wanted people to move onto the sidewalk. Sounds good, right? Except that they weren't making any disturbance, and were ALREADY on the sidewalk.

For those who watch the web videos, the face and voice of former political prisoner Vardges Gaspari has become quite familiar. He is quite impassioned, and can often be seen chanting even when others have stopped. And I remember at least one occasion where he staged his own lay-in - he just lay right down on the ground amongst the protesters, refusing to move. And this is just what he did outside of Pashinyan's case just last week, with a huge picture of Pashinyan draped on top of him, refusing to move.

I think that, for many reasons, people just have no idea what to do with this. Sitting, much less laying, on the street in Armenian culture is very, very, odd - its just not done. Next time you are in Armenia, sit on the pavement -people will walk past you and just look at you like you're absolutely crazy. And having a man, especially an older man, laying on the street makes many, as can be seen in the videos, very uncomfortable, apart from what he is yelling and why he is doing it.

The police are in an even tougher spot when he does this. Because they too feel uncomfortable with the site, but they also know they're supposed to do something about it. But what? What do you do with someone lying down on the ground?

And that is exactly the point. Sit-ins, or lay-ins, are a great way to make life peacefully difficult for those who want to harass or beat you. It is civil disobedience at its best.

[photo from Aravot]

Prison Diary: Flowers from Shirin Ebadi Բանտային օրագիր. Ծաղիկներ Շիրին Էբադիից

The latest entry in Pashinyan's Prison Diary is below.
I will say only that I hope Shirin Ebadi gets to read this piece.
-----
Prison Diary: Flowers from Shirin Ebadi
Dedicated to the memory of Gayane Babayan

The television set in our cell at the Nubarashen penitentiary has recently gained a very serious competitor. During the day we look at the competitor more than we watch the television screen. It is a bouquet of red and yellow tulips that has added an unbelievable hue to our cell. When the bouquet appeared in our cell, my cellmates and I tried to remember when it was that we had last seen fresh flowers. We realized that it was a very long ago; and then we realized that we had needed these flowers in our cells to attain “total bliss”. And now we try to prolong that happiness as much as possible; we do not spare sugar and before our morning coffee we offer it to them first. I received that bouquet of flowers the day before from Nobel Prize recipient, human rights defender and Iranian citizen Shirin Ebadi in the meeting room of the Nubarashen penitentiary.

The human rights defender had brought flowers to all the political prisoners whom she visited that day. And you should have seen that scene. Accompanied by the prison guard, the prisoner (in this case, me), with a bouquet of flowers in his hands, walked down the prison corridors under the apprehensive gazes of the other prisoners. It was evident from their gaze that this was the first time they were witnessing such a scene. Confusion persisted in their gaze even after they recognized me; they understood that an important event had taken place.

That happening was indeed important. For the first time in history of the penitentiary, a Nobel Prize recipient had visited it. At first, when I saw the flowers in Shirin Ebadi’s hands, I felt proud of my country, my fatherland. I thought that the penitentiary had welcomed the Nobel Prize recipient, world-known human rights defender Shirin Ebadi, with a bouquet of flowers. But I was to be disappointed. On the day dedicated to Motherhood and Beauty, the female human rights defender herself had brought flowers to a prisoner whom she considers a political prisoner and a kindred spirit. At the beginning of our meeting Shirin Ebadi told me she was sorry she was meeting me in prison. I told her that it was worth being in prison if that meant getting such a bouquet of flowers.

I can’t predict how long the red and yellow tulips will survive under prison conditions. But I want to believe that this will be the last visit the Nobel prize recipient will pay to Armenian prisons. I believe that the name Armenia will become synonymous with Freedom, the Defense of Human Rights, Lawfulness and Democracy. I believe that my and my friends’ presence in prison today symbolizes our fidelity to a Free and Independent Armenia. I believe that our children will live in a Free and Blissful Armenia.

NIKOL PASHINYAN
Political Prisoner
From Nubarashen Penitentiary
--------
Բանտային օրագիր. Ծաղիկներ Շիրին Էբադիից
Նվիրում եմ Գայանե Բաբայանի հիշատակին

«Նուբարաշեն» քրեակատարողական հիմնարկի մեր խցի հեռուստացույցը վերջին օրերին լրջագույն մրցակից է ձեռք բերել: Օրվա ընթացքում մենք ավելի շատ նրան ենք նայում, քան հեռուստացույցի էկրանին: Կարմրադեղին վարդակակաչների փունջն է դա, որ անհավանական երանգ է տվել բանտային մեր խցին: Երբ այդ ծաղկեփունջը հայտնվեց խցում, խցակիցներով սկսեցինք քննարկել, թե վերջին անգամ երբ ենք կենդանի ծաղիկ տեսել. պարզվեց բավական վաղուց, պարզվեց նաեւ, որ հենց այդ ծաղիկներն էին մեր խցին պակասում` «կատարյալ երջանկության համար»: Ու հիմա ջանում ենք հնարավորինս երկարացնել այդ երջանկությունը. շաքարավազը չենք խնայում, ու առավոտյան սուրճից առաջ նախ նրանց ենք հյուրասիրում: Այդ ծաղկեփունջը նախօրեին Նոբելյան մրցանակի դափնեկիր, իրավապաշտպան, Իրանի քաղաքացի Շիրին Էբադիից եմ ստացել` «Նուբարաշեն» քրեակատարողական հիմնարկի տեսակցությունների սենյակում: Իրավապաշտպանը ծաղիկներ էր տարել բոլոր այն քաղբանտարկյալներին, ում այցելել էր այդ օրը: Եւ պետք էր տեսնել այդ տեսարանը. կալանավորը (տվյալ դեպքում ես) վարդակակաչի փունջը ձեռքին վերակացուի ուղեկցությամբ քայլում է քրեակատարողական հիմնարկի միջանցքներով` բազմաթիվ այլ կալանավորների մտահոգված հայացքների ներքո: Նրանց հայացքներից ակնհայտ էր դառնում, որ առաջին անգամ են նման պատկերի ականատես լինում: Նույնիսկ երբ ճանաչում էին ինձ, տարակուսանքը նրանց հայացքում չէր վերանում, չնայած` հասկանում էին, որ, ուրեմն, ինչ-որ կարեւոր իրադարձություն է տեղի ունեցել: Իսկ իրադարձությունը իսկապես կարեւոր էր. պատմության մեջ առաջին անգամ Նոբելյան մրցանակի դափնեկիր էր այցելել քրեակատարողական հիմնարկ: Սկզբում, երբ միջանցքում-հեռվից Շիրին Էբադիի ձեռքին ծաղիկներ տեսա` մեջս հպարտություն խաղաց երկրիս, հայրենիքիս համար: Ինձ թվաց, թե քրեակատարողական հիմնարկը ծաղիկներով է դիմավորել Նոբելյան մրցանակի դափնեկիր, աշխարհահռչակ իրավապաշտպան Շիրին Էբադիին: Բայց ինձ հիասթափություն էր սպասում. Մայրության եւ գեղեցկության օրը կին իրավապաշտպանը ինքն էր ծաղիկներ բերել մի կալանավորի համար, որին քաղբանտարկյալ ու համախոհ է համարում: Մեր հանդիպման սկզբում Շիրին Էբադին ասաց, թե ցավում է, որ ինձ հետ բանտում է հանդիպում: Ես էլ ասացի, որ հանուն նման ծաղկեփունջ ստանալու արժեր բանտում հայտնվել: Չեմ կարող կանխատեսել, թե կարմրադեղին վարդակակաչները որքան կդիմանան բանտային ռեժիմին: Բայց ուզում եմ հավատալ, որ սա Նոբելյան մրցանակի դափնեկրի վերջին այցն է հայաստանյան բանտեր: Հավատում եմ, որ Հայաստան անունը դառնալու է Ազատության, Մարդու իրավունքների պաշտպանվածության, Օրինականության, Ժողովրդավարության հոմանիշ: Հավատում եմ, որ իմ ընկերների եւ իմ բանտում գտնվելն այսօր` Ազատ եւ Երջանիկ Հայաստանին մեր հավատարմությունն է խորհրդանշում: Հավատում եմ, որ մեր երեխաները ապրելու են Ազատ եւ Երջանիկ Հայաստանում:

ՆԻԿՈԼ ՓԱՇԻՆՅԱՆ
քաղբանտարկյալ
«Նուբարաշեն» ՔԿՀ-ից
www.nikol.am

Նիկոլ Փաշինյան -

Ապրիլ 9, 2010

Update on Ashot Manukyan -or- Its Time for the Regime to Go

I received the update below regarding the status of political prisoner Ashot Manukyan. I have posted it verbatim (except for the attached links, whose format I changed), with my comments below.

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Ashot Manukyan, still imprisoned for fighting against the hijacking of Armenia, has won a slight battle today. The Court of Cassation (Constitutional court) has found that one of the laws the prosecution had used is unlawful. They remanded the case to the Supreme Court. Mr. Manukyan has been in jail for 2 years already.

There is a current initiative that should be passed only with the commitment of the Armenia lobby to push for an end to this regime (or at least its practices). The Dept of Defense should not open Armenia as a procurement option for Afghan operations (see the proposed amendment to the DFARs). This money will only be stolen.

Unfortunately, there has been no help from the Diaspora lobby. Case in point, at the Policy Forum Armenia seminar held at Georgetown last month, leaders and academics joined to discuss the possibilities of Diaspora-Hayastan relations. Each speaker had well-thought ideas, but NONE dared mention the elephant in the room: the absolute corruption of the present Oligarchy and the uselessness of moving forward without a serious regime change. audio link

Here is an article that proceeded the decision today:

The political prisoner Ashot Manukyan challenged the constitutionality of Article 309.1 of the RA Criminal Code at the Constitutional Court, which allows prosecutors to take back the accusation from the Court, make it more severe, and then resubmit it.
62 year old painter Ashot Manukyan is sentenced to six years imprisonment for his involvement in the events of March 1, 2008. This past Tuesday, the CC was scheduled to consider the appeal by Manukyan and make a decision. At the conclusion of two hours of discussions, the members of the CC decided to restart the deliberation of the appeal. The reason for this was that CC President Gagik Harutyunyan was absent, and the other 8 members of the CC were unable to reach a decision without him. This means that the CC decision, and therefore whether the political prisoner is freed or not, depends on Gagik Harutyunyan.

article link
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This may have some potential to be some progress in the case, a small step forward maybe, but if this step is at all consistent with this regime's actions to date, it will be circular and unethical - any steps made will be for show. I would absolutely love for this regime to prove me wrong, and free Mr Manukyan as well as all of the political prisoners... but even that would be just a start to the change that is needed. But it would be an important start.

And of course, I love the idea that Diasporan organizations would organize and pressure the US and other western governments with the goal of supporting Armenia, a real, free and independent Armenia. But that is almost less likely than Sargsyan switching places with Mr Manukyan, himself. Again, though, I'd love to be proven wrong on this one.

I must say, however, that while I was not at the PFA meeting and have not yet had a chance to read what is available from the meeting (so my commentary on the meeting is limited), PFA is one of the only armenian organizations based outside of Armenia that has been critical of this regime, and has published informed, analytic pieces that challenge so many aspects of the criminal regime that has taken Armenia hostage. In contrast, well established organizations, the AAA, ANCA, church, AGBU and the rest of such groups have kept quiet, if not openly supported the regime, or some aspect of it.

All in all, what is this regime showing by putting a 62 year old man, a painter, in prison for his politics? The same thing it shows when it beats children, abuses women, and shoots at its own people- and more recently sells out not only its present, but past and future to save its own behind- it has to go.