DAVID SHAHNAZARIAN: KIDNAPPING WITNESSES AND PRESSING THEM IS STATE TERRORISM
Noyan Tapan
May 21, 2009
YEREVAN, MAY 21, NOYAN TAPAN. Yerevan Council of Elders elections
campaign is accompanied by acts of violence to witnesses during
political trials.
Armenian National Congress (ANC) Central Office representative David
Shahnazarian stated at the May 21 press conference. In his words, the
Police persecute and kidnap witnesses, exert psychological pressure
upon them to extort evidence beneficial for the authorities. "Such
conduct of the authorities is unprecedented, it is just a state
terrorism," D. Shahnazarian said adding that ANC strictly condemns
the above mentioned phenomenon.
According to the oppositionist’s formulation, this election campaign
is also unique as TV companies under authorities’ control do not
cover it normally.
In D. Shahnazarian’s conviction, it is done deliberately for Yerevan
citizens to be unaware of the election campaign process and their
attention to be distracted from the campaign. He explained that the
wish of the authorities is low voter turnout, which will permit them
to commit mass riggings. According to D. Shahnazarian, RPA’s rating
is too low, over 2%, while ANC has a possibility of receiving 80%
votes. He said that the opposition will do its best to prevent riggings
and to be able to fix the votes it will receive.
In response to the question of whether in case of being included in
Council of Elders ANC will cooperate with pro-governmental forces
D. Shahnazarian repeated the thought voiced by ANC members at previous
press conferences, according to which cooperation with the authorities
is impossible as long as there is even if one political prisoner
in Armenia.