WHO WILL HAMMARBERG RATTLE THE SABRE ON?
Lilit Poghosyan
Hayots Ashkhar Daily
25 Nov 08
Armenia
After the regional visit of the Minsk Group Co-Chairmen, when the
fairy-tale about the "settlement" of Karabakh issue blew up and
it became evident that the "settlement is only starting" the local
neo-Bolsheviks were shocked.
So providence gave another chance to the radicals, a gift of the
destiny, in the person of the PACE Human Rights Commissioner Thomas
Hammarberg, who finally visited our country after a long absence,
for "democratic study-tour". As a rule he intimidated us promising
to make a "strictly criticizing" report regarding the process of the
implementation of resolutions 1608 and 1620.
He even hurried to record that if our authorities continue like this,
that is to say if they don’t release the provokers and the organizers
of March 1 developments, the Assembly will deprive Armenia of the
right to vote, based on his authoritative opinion.
The activists having failed in Karabakh front have thoroughly prepared
for Hammarberg’s visit.
LTP’s Spokesman Levon Zurabyan immediately took off the advocacy "bomb"
regarding the sniper shooting, from his archives, in the number of
other shootings on the "peaceful demonstrators" on March 1.
Ex Military Prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan and Jirayr Sefilyan in their
turn created a corresponding propaganda background, showering the
press belonging to Armenian Pan National Movement with terrorizing
stories regarding various snipers, which opened fire and killed lots of
"peaceful demonstrators".
And finally the "political prisoners" uttered their manly word, by
starting a hunger strike, specially adapted to Hammarberg’s visit and
they refused to receive the Human Rights Commissioner, as a sign of
a protest against the Council of Europe that doesn’t employ political
punishments towards us.
In addition they organized a high level reception in honor of the
European official and in "Vardashen" penitentiary received him with
ironic screams and ovations addressed to the "impartial, honest and
fair" Hammarberg.
And after all this can you imagine how happy the Commissioner was,
when in contrast to the wrathful announcement of "28" two of the
"political prisoners" Sirun Sirunyan and Shant Harutyunyan generously
agreed to receive him and over again represent the "stance" of the
radicals regarding March 1 developments. Saying that "the case is
totally political, and far not criminal" and that they are detained
only because they "support Levon Ter-Petrosyan".
As regards the barricades in the center of the city, the brutal actions
towards the police, firings and the robbery, regarding which Alik
Arzumanyan re ported to the boss that "everything is ok", "everything
is under full control", they were simply childish games, no more.
Of course this time as well Hammarberg took the stories of the
neo-Bolsheviks at face value and during his brief press conference on
Saturday he expressed "deep concern" regarding the condition of the
"detained political figures", not opening the brackets.
Moreover he even hurried to give assessments to the inquest on
the case of "March 1" and the court procedure, announcing, "The
preparation of the cases was not implemented professionally". But
to what extent does this comply with the functions of the Human
Rights Commissioner? This isn’t important. The most important thing
is that Hammerberg completely satisfied the hopes of the radicals
"objectively and honestly" repeating what these people say: "there
is no proof that it was an attempt of overthrow".
It’s not worth mentioning how they would act in Hammerberg’s capital
city, have some radicals tried to turn the center of the city into a
military front. As we know they don’t like formalities in Europe and
the USA. It is only in Armenia that you can show armed resistance to
the law enforcers and gain the back up of the European structures. In
Armenia they call it "self defense" and the law enforcers must give an
an swer and bear criminal liability because they dared to hinder the
actions of the neo-Bolsheviks to stop the march of the revolutionaries
to the presidential residence.
So we will not be surprised if Hammarberg keeps his promise and makes a
"strictly critical" and "fair" speech in PACE and the parliamentarians
decide to use sanctions against us, to freeze the competencies of
our delegation. But one thing is interesting on whose ears will
the neo-Bolsheviks sit, complaining against the violence towards
"democracy".
Who will Hammarberg rattle the sabre on?
Azerbaijan – that shows the Europeans and the Americans their place,
the moment they dare to criticize the state of democracy and the
hopeless state of the human rights in Azerbaijan?
Turkey – where people are detained only for using the word "Genocide"?
Or the West’s for-post Georgia, which is awarded for the failed
attempt of conducting ethnic cleansing in South Osatia, promising
billion dollars’ investments to annihilate the consequences of the
war initiated by themselves.