ARMENIAN RIOT BREAKS OUT IN PRISON
Haik Aramyan
Story from Lragir.am News:
Published: 13:32:27 – 26/10/2012
Yesterday 4 inmates of Nubarashen went on hunger protest against
inhuman treatment, and one of them has cut his finger and sent it to
the editorial office of Henaran.am to attract attention.
Later the inmates of Vanadzor Penitentiary went on a mass hunger
protest against inhuman treatment and conditions and the arbitrariness
of the prison heads.
The wave of protest has spread to other prisons, a mass wave of
protest is expected.
Interestingly, on the eve of the Georgian parliamentary election a
scandal occurred there which affected the process and outcome of the
election. The opposition won there.
In the post-Soviet space inmates enjoy certain respect in the society,
despite the reason why they have appeared there. The reason might be
the perception that prisoners are dissidents and fighters for justice.
On the one hand, the soviet system was totally corrupt, there was no
justice. Besides, the institutions of thieves-in-law introduced by
the soviet KGB intended to shift the wave of protest and craving for
justice to the criminal environment, and it appeared as a peculiar
alternative to the existing social order. Unlike the state, the
internal laws and agreements were observed, peculiar justice and
equity with a strong hierarchy.
Almost nothing has changed in the post-Soviet period. The new national
elite were unable to shape a different political and social pattern,
instead the culture and structure of the criminal world were raised
to the level of state governance and policy. In this regard, Armenia
is the most vivid example. The government has been usurped by criminal
gangs disguised in state institutions and political parties. However,
there were two parallel worlds, while today we have a symbiosis
of state and criminal laws which does not reflect the interests of
any social class except the criminal gangs allegedly guided by the
criminal rules.
In short, the riot of inmates is able to escalate to public protest,
trigger a social riot. After all, the greater part of people lives
no better than inmates. At least in prison inmates get three meals
a day while tens of thousands of families thank God for one meal a
day and envy prisoners.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Disclaimer: This article was contributed and translated into English by Emil Lazarian. While we strive for quality, the views and accuracy of the content remain the responsibility of the contributor. Please verify all facts independently before reposting or citing.
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