IMPRISONED OPPOSITIONISTS ACCUSE CO-RAPPORTEURS OF PACE MONITORING COMMITTEE
Noyan Tapan
Jan 14, 2008
YEREVAN, JANUARY 14, NOYAN TAPAN. A group of opposition activists
imprisoned in connection with the criminal cases on March 1 events in
Yerevan have sent an open letter to the co-rapporteurs of the PACE
Monitoring Committee John Prescott and Georges Colombier, pointing
out their personal responsibility in the issue of implementation of
PACE Resolutions 1906 and 1920 by the Armenian authorities.
They remind that prior to the summer session of the PACE the
co-rapporteurs declared that Armenian authorities had made great
progress in the implementation of the requirements of Resolution 1609,
as a result of which the term of implementation of the resolution’s
requirements was extended for another six months. Whereas, according to
the authors of the letter, no step had been taken in this direction by
the Armenian authorities, and the co-rapporteurs were aware of it. "You
are certainly fully aware that among other harms, you contributed
to the political prisoners’ being held in custody for another six
months. In this way you contributed to the Armenian authorities’
plan of not revealing the March 1 slaughter," the letter reads.
According to the authors of the letter, after the December 17 decision
of the Monitoring Committee, political prisoners were subjected to
violence in their cells, some applications for a personal pardon
were extracted under torture, as a result of which 9 persons
were "generously" granted a pardon just before the visit of the
co-rapporteurs. "Have you come this time as well in order to take this
"fact" to the upcoming session of PACE as a "proof of considerable
progress?" the authors of the letter ask, expressing their fears that
the co-rapporteurs’ task is to save the authorities from the expected
punishment and extend the imprisonment of the political prisoners. "In
this way you will only increase the amount of personal responsibility
you will undoubtedly take," is said in the letter signed by Myasnik
Malkhasian, Sasun Mikaelian, Shant Harutyunian, Hakob Hakobian,
Grigor Voskerchian, Suren Sirunian, Mushegh Saghatelian and some
thirty other persons who presented themselves as political prisoners.