Monday,
13 Charged Over Violent Unrest In Armenia
• Marine Khachatrian
Armenia -- The building of the Investigative Committee in Yerevan.
An Armenian law-enforcement agency has pressed criminal charges against 13 men
arrested after last week’s violent clashes between riot police and people
protesting against a government ban on unauthorized logging in the northern
Tavush province.
The clashes broke out in the provincial capital Ijevan late on July 17 as
several hundred protesters defied police orders to unblock a major highway
passing through the town. A dozen police officers and at least two civilians
were hospitalized as a result.
The Investigative Committee announced on Monday that the arrested men have been
formally charged with hooliganism and violent assault on law-enforcement
officers. They will risk between four and seven years in prison if convicted.
A statement by the Investigative Committee said 10 of the suspects were
remanded in pre-trial custody while the three others were set free pending
investigation. It said investigators have also arrested another man as part of
the ongoing inquiry.
A spokeswoman for the committee, Naira Harutiunian, told RFE/RL’s Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am) that law-enforcement authorities are also continuing to
hunt for 11 other individuals suspected of involvement in the unrest.
Relatives of at least some of the indicted men have said that the latter did
not commit violent acts and are unjustly prosecuted.
The mother of Vahram Simonian, an arrested Ijevan resident, insisted on Monday
that he did not participate in the demonstration. She claimed that Simonian and
his father and brother found themselves at the site of protest only because
they got stuck in a traffic jam in their car.
Simonian’s lawyer, Ara Gharagyozian, said, for his part, that the case against
his client is based only on incriminating testimony given by another person.
The Armenian police deployed hundreds of officers in Ijevan during and after
the unrest. The national police chief, Valeri Osipian, defended the use of
force against the protesters when he visited the town on July 18.
The protests erupted after authorities moved to stop illegal logging in Tavush
forests, which has been widespread for over two decades. The angry protesters
accused the Armenian government of depriving them of their sole source of
income.
Government officials counter that the country’s deforestation has reached
dangerous levels. They also say that commercial logging has primarily benefited
a small number of timber traders.
EU Envoy Praises ‘Excellent’ Ties With Armenia
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Piotr Switalski, head of the European Delegation in Armenia, at a
news conference in Yerevan, .
The outgoing head of the European Union Delegation in Yerevan, Piotr Switalski,
described the EU’s relationship with Armenia as “excellent” on Monday.
“Cooperation between the European Union and Armenia is on the right track,” he
told a farewell news conference.
Switalski pointed to their “very intensive and friendly political dialogue”
involving mutual visits by Armenian and EU leaders and the EU’s “technical
missions” to Yerevan focusing on wide-ranging reforms planned by the Armenian
government.
European Council President Donald Tusk praised the government’s reform agenda
during a visit to Armenia earlier this month.He specifically hailed “the focus
on creating an independent, efficient and accountable judicial system” after
holding talks with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian.
Switalski reaffirmed the EU’s readiness to support judicial reforms planned by
Pashinian’s government with “political, technical and financial” assistance.
The financial aid should be made available already this autumn, he said.
Switalski also stressed the importance of 25 million euros ($28 million) in
additional EU aid to Armenia that will be provided this year. He portrayed the
sum as a reward for reforms already implemented in the country. The diplomat
singled out the holding in December 2018 of parliamentary elections widely
recognized as democratic.
The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also acknowledged the
“democratic reforms” last month when she announced the extra aid after
chairing, together with Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian, a
session of the EU-Armenia Partnership Council.
The CEPA offers the South Caucasus state the prospect of a closer relationship
with the EU in return for major political and economic reforms. The 350-page
agreement is already being partly implemented despite not having been ratified
yet by all EU member states.
Armenian Army Switching To Private Canteen Services
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Soldiers at the privately managed canteen of a military base in
Armavir, July 19. 2019.
Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan on Monday defended his decision to gradually
outsource the Armenian military’s canteen services to private companies.
Armenia’s Defense Ministry has always purchased foodstuffs and delivered them
to army bases where they have been cooked and served to soldiers by military
personnel. Earlier this year the ministry contracted six private firms that
will all army canteens within the next three years.
Four army units, all of them training centers for non-commissioned officers,
already have their canteens managed by one of the private contractors. Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian visited the unit located 50 kilometers west of Yerevan
and dined at its new canteen with soldiers late last week.
Tonoyan said the main purpose of the change is to improve the quality of
soldiers’ food. He indicated that it is also meant to eradicate corruption in
food supplies to the armed forces.
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan
(second from right) inspect the new canteen of a military base in Armavir, July
19, 2019.
“Improving the quality of food within the framework of cooperation between the
state and the private sector is the best variant,” he told reporters. “That
will be obvious.”
“Time will tell whether [the new system] is more expensive or cheaper,” the
minister said. “In any case, I don’t think that our soldiers must east cheaper
food.”
Tonoyan acknowledged that an Armenian company that has become the first
military canteen operator is owned by a friend of his. He denied any conflict
of interest and expressed confidence that the company, which has until now
specialized in imports of medical equipment, will be equal to the task.
“I don’t deny that the company chief is doing that at my request because I
don’t have another credible option,” he said. “If he fails I will fail too.”
“As soon as the five other companies get down to business the process will move
forward very fast,” added Tonoyan.
Senior Prosecutor Accused Of Bribery
Armenia -- Prosecutors attend an event marking the 101st anniversary of the
creation of their agency, Yerevan, July 1, 2019.
A senior Armenia prosecutor has been charged with large-scale bribery and
suspended as a result, it was announced on Monday.
Armenia’s Office of the Prosecutor-General said the official, identified by his
L. K. initials, demanded last month and subsequently received a “large bribe”
for pledging to ensure that a man serving a 10-year prison sentence is released
from jail on parole. The bribe was paid by a person close to the convict in
several installments, it said in a statement.
The statement added that investigators have asked to remand the prosecutor in
custody on charges carrying between four and ten years’ imprisonment.It did not
say whether he will plead guilty to the accusations.
The statement also said that the alleged bribery was exposed by the National
Security Service (NSS). It was not clear whether the suspect was caught
red-handed.
Corruption among Armenian law-enforcement officials and prosecutors in
particular has long been a serious problem. According to the statement,
Prosecutor-General Artur Davtian has repeatedly warned his subordinates against
engaging in corrupt practices, saying that they would receive tougher
punishment than other citizens accused of such crimes.
The NSS has been behind most of the high-profile corruption investigations
conducted in Armenia after last year’s “Velvet Revolution.” The former Armenian
branch of the Soviet KGB said on Monday that since May 2018 it has recovered
22.6 billion drams ($47 million) worth of financial “damage” inflicted on the
state as a result corruption and other crimes.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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