Friday,
Court Sanctions Tsarukian’s Arrest
• Artak Khulian
Armenia - Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian talks to journalists
before attending a court hearing on his pre-trial arrest, Yerevan, September 25,
2020.
A Yerevan court allowed investigators late on Friday to arrest Gagik Tsarukian,
a wealthy businessman leading the opposition Prosperous Armenia (BHK), on vote
buying charges rejected by him as politically motivated.
His lawyers described the ruling as “illegal” and “unfounded,” saying that it
was ordered by the government.
Tsarukian also condemned it as he headed to a prison in downtown Yerevan later
in the evening. He was greeted by several dozen supporters outside the prison
building.
Tsarukian, whose party has the second largest group in the Armenian parliament,
again claimed to be persecuted by the authorities when he spoke to journalists
in the morning. “If Tsarukian’s arrest improves the plight of the people, then I
have no problem,” he said sarcastically before attending a court hearing on the
arrest warrant sought by the National Security Service (NSS).
The tycoon was taken into custody just over three months after the parliament
dominated by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s allies lifted his legal immunity
from prosecution and arrest. The NSS claimed that he “created and led an
organized group” that bought more than 17,000 votes for the BHK during
parliamentary elections held in 2017.
Tsarukian strongly denies the accusations. He and his party maintain that
Pashinian ordered the criminal proceedings in response to the BHK leader’s calls
for the government’s resignation. Pashinian and law-enforcement authorities deny
that the case is politically motivated.
A Yerevan judge refused to allow Tsarukian’s pre-trial arrest on June 21.
Armenia’s Court of Appeals overturned that decision on July 8, ordering a lower
court to hold new hearings on the matter.
Defense lawyers said the investigators kept pushing for Tsarukian’s arrest
despite producing no proof that their client has pressured witnesses or
obstructed the NSS investigation otherwise over the past three months. “This is
simply absurd,” one of them, Yerem Sargsian, told journalists.
Sargsian and the other lawyers linked the arrest warrant to an anti-government
rally which will be held by the BHK and two other opposition parties in Yerevan
on October 8.
Representatives of the BHK, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
(Dashnaktsutyun) and Hayrenik party said on Thursday that the rally will go
ahead even if Tsarukian is taken into custody. They said they will demand the
holding of snap parliamentary elections.
The NSS said that it has also indicted a total of 14 individuals, among them two
former BHK parliamentarians, and questioned 162 others as part of the probe.
The BHK was part of Pashinian’s first cabinet formed following the “Velvet
Revolution” of April-May 2018. The prime minister fired his BHK-affiliated
ministers in October 2018, accusing Tsarukian of secretly collaborating with the
country’s former leadership toppled in the revolution.
Addressing senior BHK members on June 5, Tsarukian accused the government of
mishandling Armenia’s coronavirus crisis and failing to mitigate its
socioeconomic consequences.
Pashinian Slams Turkey In UN Speech
U.S. -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian speaks during the 74th Session
of the General Assembly at the United Nations headquarters in New York,
September 25, 2019
Turkey is posing a serious threat to Armenia’s security and destabilizing the
South Caucasus by aggressively siding with Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Friday.
“With its unilateral support to Azerbaijan and the expansion of military
presence there, Turkey undermines efforts at peace and stability in the region
as well as the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to this end,” Pashinian
said, addressing the UN General Assembly from Yerevan.
“Turkey directly threatens Armenia and puts on show aggressive military
posturing by way of provocative joint military drills with Azerbaijan in close
vicinity of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh,” he charged.
Yerevan and Ankara began trading bitter accusations following the July 12
outbreak of heavy fighting on Armenia’s border with Azerbaijan, Turkey’s
regional ally.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and other Turkish leaders blamed Yerevan for the
weeklong deadly hostilities and reaffirmed support for Baku in unusually strong
terms, raising the possibility of Turkish military intervention in the Karabakh
conflict. Turkish and Azerbaijani troops held joint exercises in various parts
of Azerbaijan in August.
Successive Turkish governments have refused to establish diplomatic relations
with Armenia and open the border between the two countries. They have made the
normalization of Turkish-Armenian relations conditional on a Karabakh settlement
acceptable to Baku.
Pashinian mentioned the July border clashes in his UN speech, saying they
demonstrated that “there is no military solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.” “It is long overdue for the Azerbaijani leadership to acknowledge
this fact and renounce the use of force and threat of force in the context of
the conflict resolution,” he said.
“The right of self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh is a basis of
the peace process, which is recognized by the international community and the
international mediators, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” added the Armenian
leader. “By virtue of this right, the people of Nagorno-Karabakh should be able
to determine their status without limitation.”
Baku maintains that any peaceful settlement must restore Azerbaijani control
over Karabakh.
Another Lawmaker Resigns From Armenian Parliament
Armenia - Deputies start the autumn session of the Armenian parliament, Yerevan,
September 14, 2020.
Another pro-government deputy resigned from the Armenian parliament on Friday,
hinting at disagreements with the ruling political team.
In a statement posted on Facebook, the lawmaker, Gayane Abrahamian, gave no
clear reasons for her decision.
“This decision did not come easily, but it is very important for me to be in
harmony with my principles and values when making decisions important for the
future of our state and people,” she wrote.
Abrahamian said she was never ready to breach those values and always knew that
“there will be political decisions which I will not approve.” She did not
elaborate.
Abrahamian noted at the same time her “productive” cooperation with the
parliament’s pro-government majority.
“I remain as convinced as I was two years ago that the Velvet Revolution [of
April-May 2018] marked one the remarkable pages of our modern history and that
we have never had a more real chance to build a democratic and strong Armenia
before,” concluded the statement.
Abrahamian, 41, is a former journalist and civic activist who was elected to the
National Assembly on the ticket of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s My Step bloc
in December 2018.
Several prominent civil society members have criticized the parliament
majority’s choice of two new members of Armenia’s Constitutional Court confirmed
earlier this month. They say that the judges were linked to the former
government toppled in the 2018 revolution.
Pashinian blasted those critics on September 16. He claimed that they are
primarily concerned with their own parochial interests, rather than the rule of
law.
Another My Step lawmaker, Arsen Julfalakyan, resigned from the parliament on
September 10, citing serious disagreements with Minister of Education, Culture
and Sports Arayik Harutiunian. Julfalakyan was replaced by another My Step
member.
The ruling bloc controls 88 seats in the 132-member parliament.
Armenian Constitutional Court Fails To Elect New Chair
• Naira Nalbandian
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia -- Judge Yervand Khundkarian attends a parliament debate on his
appointment to the Constitutional Court, Yerevan, September 14, 2020.
After three days of discussions, members of Armenia’s Constitutional Court
failed to elect its new chairperson on Friday.
The position has been vacant ever since the Armenian parliament enacted in June
controversial constitutional amendments initiated by Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian.
The amendments call for the gradual resignation of seven of the court’s nine
judges locked in a standoff with Pashinian’s political team. Three of them had
to resign with immediate effect. The constitutional amendments also required
Hrayr Tovmasian to quit as court chairman but remain a judge.
Tovmasian and the ousted judges consider their removal illegal and politically
motivated. They have appealed to the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to
have them reinstated.
This did not stop the parliament controlled by Pashinian’s My Step bloc from
electing three new court judges earlier this month. One of them, Yervand
Khundkarian, was the only candidate nominated for the post of court chairman.
The nine justices spent three days discussing practical modalities of the
election and Khundkarian’s candidacy. One of them, Edgar Shatirian, told
reporters afterwards that Khundkarian failed to garner at least five votes
needed for succeeding Tovmasian as court chairman. He said he and his colleagues
will meet on Monday to start the election process anew.
Shatirian did not confirm or deny news reports saying that only three judges
backed Khundkarian’s appointment and that the six others voted against him or
did not vote at all.
Armenia -- The main meeting room of the Constitutional Court, Yerevan, September
3, 2019.
Another judge, Vahe Grigorian, openly voiced his opposition to the nominee when
he spoke to journalists ahead of the vote.
Grigorian was appointed to the Constitutional Court one year after the 2018
“Velvet Revolution” that brought Pashinian to power. He was at odds with
Tovmasian and six other court members installed by former Armenian governments.
Despite challenging the legality of his ouster, Tovmasian took part in the
discussions on the new court chair held behind the closed doors. He insisted on
Thursday that there is no contradiction between his participation and rejection
of the constitutional changes.
“I will continue to fight until constitutionality in Armenia on this issue is
restored,” said the former chief justice. “I don’t know when I will succeed, but
I will keep fighting.”
Tovmasian also said that he will not take part in Friday’s vote because he
believes the Armenian authorities have made sure that Khundkarian’s election is
a forgone conclusion. But he claimed the following morning that the authorities
are now also considering “other scenarios” as well.
Armenia -- Former Constitutional Court Chairman Hrayr Tovmasian speaks to
journalists, Yerevan, .
Khundkarian headed the Court of Cassation, Armenia’s highest body of criminal
and administrative justice, until the National Assembly approved his appointment
to one of the vacant Constitutional Court seats. He was nominated by a national
convention of judges held in August.
Several Armenian civic groups have strongly criticized Khundkarian’s
appointment, saying that it will not address what Pashinian has repeatedly
described as a lack of public trust in the Constitutional Court.
The critics argue that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled
against Armenia in connection with several verdicts handed down by Khundkarian
in the past. In particular, the Strasbourg-based court ordered the authorities
in Yerevan in 2008 to compensate the independent TV station A1+ controversially
pulled off the air in 2002.
Pashinian strongly defended on September 16 the choice of Khundkarian and the
two other new judges. He said that their critics are primarily concerned with
their own parochial interests, rather than the rule of law.
Alen Simonian, a deputy parliament speaker representing Pashinian’s bloc, echoed
the prime minister’s stance on Friday. He said that there are no candidates
acceptable to everyone in Armenia.
“There will always be attempts to promote one’s own candidate and have an
influence,” Simonian said before the Constitutional Court vote. “We chose a
candidate after taking into account all concerns.”
Meanwhile, representatives of the two parliamentary opposition parties
reiterated that they believe the recent constitutional changes were enacted in
breach of other articles of the Armenian constitution.
Armenia, Azerbaijan Trade More Accusations
Germany -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (R) and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev meet in Munich, February 15, 2020.
Armenia and Azerbaijan have again accused each other of hampering the resolution
of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict two weeks after international mediators urged
them to prepare the ground for renewed peace talks.
Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev lashed out at Armenia in a video speech
delivered at a session of the UN General Assembly on Thursday. Aliyev called on
the international community to help end Armenian “occupation” of Karabakh and
surrounding lands.
“Armenia is trying to disrupt the peace process,” he charged. “Its aim is to
preserve the status quo and annex the occupied territories.”
Aliyev again alleged that Armenia is “preparing for a new war against
Azerbaijan.” He also repeated his earlier claims that the United States, Russia
and France are not doing enough to resolve the conflict in their capacity as
co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian hit back at Aliyev on Friday. Pashinian
said that Baku itself is keeping the negotiating process in deadlock by
rejecting any settlement that would not restore Azerbaijani control over
Karabakh.
Meeting with visiting Karabakh officials in Yerevan, Pashinian again complained
that Aliyev has not reciprocated his repeated calls for a compromise peace deal
acceptable to the people of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Karabakh. And he stressed
that Baku cannot clinch “unilateral” Armenian concessions with its threats to
end the conflict by military force.
Pashinian further dismissed allegations by a government-linked Azerbaijani media
outlet that he privately promised to make such concessions shortly after coming
to power in 2018. “I wouldn’t advise our Azerbaijani colleagues to do go down
that path because if we … start spreading confidential information I’m afraid
the internal political situation will be destabilized as a result,” he warned.
Meanwhile, the Armenian Foreign Ministry laughed off Aliyev’s strong criticism
of Yerevan’s human rights record and claims that Pashinian is persecuting his
political opponents. The ministry spokeswoman, Anna Naghdalian, said that both
Armenia and Karabakh are run by democratically elected governments that have a
popular mandate to negotiate with legitimate representatives of the Azerbaijani
people.
“Ilham Aliyev, who inherited power from his father and shares it within a single
family, is not such a leader,” Naghdalian said in a statement. She said that
Aliyev leads a “repressive regime” that takes “every opportunity, including the
COVID-19 pandemic, to plunder and silence its own people.”
Aliyev similarly blamed the Armenian side late last week for the current
deadlock in the peace process. He said Yerevan’s “provocative” actions and
statements make further peace talks “meaningless.” The Armenian Foreign Ministry
deplored his “baseless and false claims.”
The U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group met in Paris and
spoke by phone with the Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers on September
14. In a joint statement, the mediators said they “invited the ministers to meet
individually with the Co-Chairs in person in the coming weeks to further clarify
their respective positions, with the aim of resuming serious substantive
negotiations without preconditions.”
Aliyev already threatened to pull out of “meaningless negotiations” with Armenia
in early July. A few days later heavy fighting broke out at a western section of
the Armenian-Azerbaijani border. It lasted for about a week, leaving at least 17
soldiers from both sides dead.
Armenian Troops Participate In ‘Strategic’ Russian Drills
Armenia -- Russian tanks and armored vehicles participate in Russian-Armenian
military exercises at the Alagyaz firing range, Seotember 24, 2020.
More than 1,500 Armenian and Russian soldiers practiced repelling an enemy
attack on Armenia on Thursday as part of large-scale exercises launched by the
Russian military.
The “Caucasus 2020” exercises, described by Moscow as “strategic,” began on
Monday in southern Russia and the Black and Caspian Seas, reportedly involving
80,000 Russian soldiers. They were joined by around 1,000 military personnel
from Armenia, Belarus, China, Myanmar and Pakistan.
The weeklong drills are also featuring joint military operations simulated at
the Alagyaz firing range in central Armenia by Armenian army units and Russian
troops stationed in the South Caucasus state. They deployed about 300 tanks,
armored vehicles and artillery systems as well as dozens of warplanes,
helicopters and drones during a live-fire session on Thursday.
Armenia -- Armenian soldiers and armored vehicle participate in Russian-Armenian
military exercises at the Alagyaz firing range, Seotember 24, 2020.
The Alagyaz war games are led by Lieutenant-General Tigran Parvanian, the
commander of a joint Russian-Armenian military force. Under their scenario cited
by Parvanian, the participating troops launched a counteroffensive against an
imaginary enemy that invaded Armenia.
Armenia hosts up to 5,000 Russia soldiers as part of its military alliance with
Russia. Successive Armenian governments have regarded the Russian military
presence as a crucial deterrent against Turkey’s possible military intervention
in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Armenia -- An Armenian soldier fires a howitzer during Russian-Armenian military
exercises at the Alagyaz firing range, .
The likelihood of such intervention appears to have increased after deadly
hostilities that broke out on the Armenian-Azerbaijani border in July. Turkey
blamed Armenia for the escalation and pledged to boost Turkish military aid to
Azerbaijan. In an apparently related development, Turkish and Azerbaijani troops
held last month joint two-week exercises in various parts of Azerbaijan.
The Armenian government responded by accusing Ankara of undercutting
international efforts to resolve the Karabakh conflict and posing a serious
security threat to Armenia. Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia’s Security
Council, said on August 2 that Yerevan counts on Moscow’s support in its efforts
to counter that threat.
Armenia’s and Russia’s defense ministers met in Moscow later in August. The two
countries’ top army generals held talks in the Russian capital two weeks later.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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