Author: admin

"OPEN TOURNAMENT OF ARMENIAN ROBOTS – "ARMROBOTICS" ALL ARMENIAN YOUTH CONTEST" TO BE HELD IN A MORE EXTENDED FORMAT THIS YEAR

ARMENPRESS
Feb 10, 2009

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 10, ARMENPRESS: This year the "Open tournament of
Armenian robots – "ArmRobotics" all Armenian youth contest" will be
held in a more extended format.

Executive director of "Union of IT enterprises" Karen Vardanian told
Armenpress that 4 different contest of robots will be organized for
children, students and programmers.

"Last year the contest of robots was held for the first time in Armenia
and found a great resonance among the youth. We wish to expand it
involving more participants", – K. Vardanian noted.

According to one of the tasks of the last year’s contest the robots
were to be able to move across the black lines drawn on the white
field within a definite period of time. The field was a square area
with barriers alongside. Overcoming of existing barriers by the robots
brought additional scores to the teams.

This time new tasks will be given according to which besides passing
the intended way the robots must be able to find articles of various
size and color and move them.

K. Vardanian said the contest aims at general development of robot
technology, increasing the interest of the public towards it and
involving the scientific potential.

"The contest gives the youth an opportunity to develop their abilities
in working in team, it also helps in discovering new cadres and
involving them in other programs in the future and in promoting the
entrance of new technologies in Armenian scientific and industrial
centers", – K. Vardanian added.

The organizers do not want the contest to be end in itself and wish
the presented programs to be applicable. This year a contest of
sappers will also be held. An area covered with soil will be singled
out where the robot must find mines and place a flag on the place.

MIGRANT CONSTRUCTION WORKERS FACE SERIOUS ABUSES

A1+
[03:20 pm] 10 February, 2009

Russia: Migrant Construction Workers Face Serious Abuses End Employer
Exploitation, Forced Labor, Climate of Violence

Migrant construction workers in Russia face widespread abuse both
in and outside of the workplace, Human Rights Watch said in a report
released today. In a climate of rising hate-motivated violence against
migrants, exacerbated by the global financial crisis, the Russian
government is failing to protect these workers from abusive employers,
employment agencies, and police.

The 130-page report, "’Are you Happy to Cheat Us?’ Exploitation
of Migrant Construction Workers in Russia," documents widespread
withholding of wages, failure to provide required contracts, and unsafe
working conditions by employers at construction sites across Russia. It
also details cases in which workers were unwittingly trafficked into
forced labor by employment agencies that promised construction jobs
in Russia, but then delivered workers to employers who confiscated
their passports and forced them to work without wages. In some cases,
these workers were confined and beaten.

"Migrant construction workers come to Russia for decent jobs
and instead find violence and exploitation," said Jane Buchanan,
researcher in the Europe and Central Asia division of Human Rights
Watch and author of the report. "Russia should undertake rigorous
reforms to protect migrant construction workers from these serious
human rights abuses."

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 140 migrant construction
workers who have worked in 49 Russian cities and towns from 2006
to 2008.

More than 40 percent of Russia’s 4 million to 9 million migrant workers
are employed in construction, which prior to the global economic
crisis had been one of the major engines of Russia’s growth. Most
migrant workers come from other countries of the former Soviet Union,
looking to escape poverty and unemployment. Citizens of most of those
countries can enter Russia without a visa.

The report documents exploitation and abuse at a time of Russia’s
phenomenal economic growth. With the Russian economy suffering the
impacts of the global financial crisis, migrant workers face an
increased risk of exploitation and violence, Human Rights Watch said.

"Without urgent action by the Russian government, migrant construction
workers will be doubly vulnerable to abuse, both by employers and
by others looking to scapegoat migrants for the country’s economic
problems," Buchanan said.

Human Rights Watch said that almost none of the workers interviewed
had been given contracts, as required by Russian law. The lack of
a contract makes workers vulnerable to wage and other abuses and
limits their opportunities to seek assistance from official bodies
in cases of abuse. Employers routinely withhold wages from workers,
make unexpected and illegal deductions in wages, or refuse to pay
wages altogether. Workers who refuse to work in protest over unpaid
wages may face violence and threats by their employers.

"This kind of exploitation is so pervasive that workers often labor
for months, waiting and hoping to be paid," said Buchanan. "They
recognize that their chances for decent, reliable pay won’t be much
better with another employer."

Police regularly target ethnic minorities, including migrant
workers, for petty extortion during spot document inspections on
the street. Migrant workers told Human Rights Watch that sometimes,
during these inspections, police also beat or humiliated them. In
some egregious cases, police required migrant workers to perform
forced labor at police stations or other locations.

"Sadly, violence seems to be a fact of life for many migrant workers in
Russia," said Buchanan. "Whether it’s employers trying to intimidate
their workers, police roughing them up during a shake-down, or
hate-motivated attacks by regular citizens, Russia’s migrant workers
are vulnerable at almost every turn."

Russia has revised its migration laws in recent years to make it
easier for workers who can enter Russia without a visa to legalize
their stay and employment. The steps, while positive, do not go far
enough to protect migrant workers from abuse.

"Russia has an obligation under international law to protect all
victims of abuse, irrespective of the victim’s migration status or
contractual status," said Buchanan. "It’s time for the government to
stop acting as if migrant workers don’t have rights and take decisive
action against abusive employers and employment agencies."

Human Rights Watch called on the government to ensure rigorous labor
inspections, prosecution of abusive employers, and effective regulation
of employment agencies. It should also develop accessible complaint
mechanisms for victims and timely and effective investigations into
allegations of abuse. In addition, further reform in migration law
is necessary to allow workers to more easily regularize their stay,
making them less vulnerable to abuse and more likely to seek protection
from state agencies.

Human Rights Watch also called on the home countries of migrant
workers in Russia to provide more help when their citizens face abuse
in Russia, to cooperate with Russian authorities on investigations
and prosecutions of abusive employers in Russia, and to establish
clear and rigorous regulations for employment agencies that recruit
in their countries.

ARMENIAN MINISTRY SAYS NO "NON-FINANCIAL" CONDITIONS IN RUSSIAN LOAN

Haykakan Zhamanak
Feb 10 2009
Armenia

"Finally"

Yesterday [9 February] the Armenian Ministry of Finance issued a
statement saying the Armenian and Russian governments have signed a
preliminary agreement to provide a 500m-dollar loan to Armenia.

It was impossible to clarify yesterday what specific conditions the
loan will have, as they are being kept secret. It is only said that
the loan will be provided for a period of 15 years, the first four at a
preferential rate. According to the Ministry of Finance’s assessments,
"the loan has been provided with mild conditions in comparison to the
current credit conditions in the international financial market". It
is not known what the preferential rate will be. It is noteworthy
that the Ministry of Finance emphasizes that the agreement does not
envisage implementation of some other non-financial conditions by
Armenia. One may remember that before this the Russian Federation
wrote in agreements regarding financial support that Armenia should
not, let’s say, draw very close to NATO.

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway

The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one’s belief or religion
The right to join together and express one’s belief

========================================== ======
Monday 9 February 2009
ARMENIA: TWO YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR ORGANISING SHARING OF FAITH?

If two draft Laws which began passage through Armenia’s Parliament on 5
February are adopted, spreading one’s faith would be banned, Forum 18 News
Service has learnt. Those who organise campaigns to spread their faith
would face up to two years’ imprisonment, while those who engage in
spreading their faith would face up to one year’s imprisonment or a fine of
more than eight years’ minimum wages. Gaining legal status would require
1,000 adult members, while Christian communities which do not accept the
doctrine of the Trinity would be barred from registering. "These proposed
Laws contain violations of all human rights." Russian Orthodox priest Fr
David Abrahamyan told Forum 18. Religious affairs official Vardan
Astsatryan told Forum 18 the government backs the draft Laws "in general".
He declined to explain why the government has not involved the OSCE in
preparation of the draft Laws.

ARMENIA: TWO YEARS’ IMPRISONMENT FOR ORGANISING SHARING OF FAITH?

By Felix Corley, Forum 18 News Service <;

Religious minorities have expressed alarm to Forum 18 News Service at
proposed amendments to Armenia’s Religion Law and Criminal Code which
suddenly began passage through the country’s parliament on 5 February. In
particular, they are worried about proposed punishments of up to two years’
imprisonment for those outside the dominant Armenian Apostolic Church who
organise campaigns to spread their faith in public and a proposed five-fold
increase in the number of members required to register a religious
organisation. "If we don’t react this Law will be adopted," Rene Leonian,
head of the Evangelical Church of Armenia, told Forum 18 from the capital
Yerevan on 9 February. "If it is adopted, it would create an intolerant
atmosphere in the religious field."

Members of several religious communities told Forum 18 they had had no
warning of the beginning of the parliamentary process. "The first we knew
was when we heard this on television last week," Lyova Markaryan of the
Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18 on 9 February in comments echoed by
others. "It’s strange that no-one’s informed us about this," Fr David
Abrahamyan, a Russian Orthodox priest at the Mother of God Church in
Yerevan’s Kanaker District, told Forum 18 the same day. "These proposed
Laws contain violations of all human rights."

Heavy new penalties would be imposed for spreading one’s faith under a new
Article 162 of the Criminal Code. Those who organise or lead religious
communities that conduct such activity would face prison sentences of up to
two years, while those who participate in such activity could be sentenced
to up to one year’s imprisonment or a fine of 500 times the minimum monthly
wage.

The proposed changes to the Religion Law would see spreading one’s faith
("proselytism") more tightly defined in a revised Article 8. This bans
sharing of faith using financial inducements; "physical, moral or
psychological pressure"; inciting "doubt or hatred" towards other
religions, their doctrines or activity; insulting other people or
religions; and "pursuing people" at their home, place of work or
relaxation, or by telephone. Article 15 bans religions that "control" the
thoughts or personal life of their members.

Gaining legal status would become far more difficult, requiring 1,000
adult members, rather than 200 as at present. In addition, Christian
denominations could only apply for legal status if they believe in "Jesus
Christ as God and Saviour and accept the Holy Trinity". (Under the current
Law, only religious communities – except those from recognised ethnic
minorities – which have "historically-recognised Holy Scriptures" can apply
for legal status, a requirement which would continue.)

Although the proposed changes to the Religion Law do not specify
re-registration for existing communities with legal status, they would
require such communities to come into compliance with the new Law or cease
their activity.

Parliament’s website has posted the text of the two draft Laws, indicating
that they were both approved for consideration on 2 February and that they
will have two readings. Parliament’s Protocol Department told Forum 18 on 9
February that the draft Laws’ first reading began on 5 February, though no
vote was taken that day. It said discussion will resume at the next session
in two weeks’ time.

The draft Laws were prepared by Parliamentary deputy Armen Ashotyan of the
Republican Party, which is the largest parliamentary bloc with nearly half
the deputies. Forum 18 was unable to reach Ashotyan on 9 February, as staff
at his office in Parliament would not put Forum 18 through to him.

The draft Laws have the backing "in general" of the government, though not
its full support, Vardan Astsatryan, head of its Department on National
Minority and Religious Issues, told Forum 18 from Yerevan on 9 January. He
admitted though that as the Republican Party is the dominant party "they
may well pass". He said the government had sent its written view of the
draft Laws to Parliament in late 2008, but refused to supply Forum 18 with
a copy of its views until he had sought permission from superiors.

Asked where the government disagreed with the drafts, Astsatryan said that
the proposed raising of the minimum number of members to apply for state
registration from 200 to 1000 should be withdrawn. "We believe this should
remain at 200." He added that the term "proselytism" should be removed and
should not be used in such a Law. "If any religious organisation is in a
situation where the rights of others are violated, this should be
restricted only then, and with strict limitations," he told Forum 18.

Astsatryan told Forum 18 that the government initiated a meeting with
members of selected religious communities in Parliament on 12 February to
discuss the draft Laws. Asked who had decided which communities to invite,
he said the decision had been handed over to Ashotyan, the initiator of the
draft Law. Asked whether the Yerevan Office of the Organisation for
Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) has been involved and would take
part in the meeting, he responded: "We have not been in contact with the
OSCE." He declined to explain why not.

Protestant leaders told Forum 18 that they held a meeting today (9
February) to discuss their response to the draft Laws.

Leonian of the Evangelical Church in Armenia, which has 40 congregations
across the country, said it is wrong to punish people for sharing their
faith. "The approach to proselytism in these draft Laws is not the best
way," he told Forum 18. He added that he hopes the minimum number of
adherents needed to gain legal status will not be increased. "If the new
Law is adopted, communities will have to meet the new requirements and many
of them would not be able to do so."

Many religious minorities have told Forum 18 that the existing threshold
of 200 adult citizen members to register a religious community is already
too high. Fr Abrahamyan of the Russian Orthodox Church told Forum 18 that
two of the six Orthodox parishes cannot gain registration under the
existing Law because of the high threshold. "It is already difficult trying
to reach two hundred," he told Forum 18 from Yerevan on 9 February.

Fr Abrahamyan also objected to the existing restrictions for non-Armenian
Apostolic communities on sharing faith. "We don’t have the right to preach
outside our church building," he complained to Forum 18. "We can’t go into
hospitals, prisons or army barracks. We’ve also no right to build new
churches." He added that under the current Religion Law, they also cannot
receive funding from their leadership – in this case the Yekaterinodar and
Kuban Diocese based in Krasnodar in southern Russia – as it is located
outside the country.

Fr Abrahamyan said the Russian Orthodox are not opposed to the Armenian
Apostolic Church having a place of primacy. "But all religious communities
should have equal rights."

Armenia’s Constitution grants the Armenian Apostolic Church an "exclusive
mission" in the country’s life, while the April 2007 Law on Relations of
the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Church gave it extensive
privileges over other faiths.

Markaryan of the Jehovah’s Witnesses – who himself was eventually cleared
in 2001 of enticing young people into religious activity despite strenuous
efforts by prosecutors and the National Security Ministry to convict him –
says he is surprised that Parliament could now be considering such
amendments to the Religion Law and Criminal Code. "Maybe they won’t be
adopted, but we are concerned," he told Forum 18.

Artur Simonyan, chief pastor of the Pentecostal Word of Life Church,
describes the proposed Laws as "very bad for religious freedom in Armenia".
"The State Church wants to take control over every religious activity in
the country," he told Forum 18. "And therefore all the Churches in Armenia
came together to fight against this."

Astsatryan of the government’s Department on National Minority and
Religious Issues insists a new Religion Law is necessary. However, he
struggled to explain to Forum 18 why he believes this is so. "The current
Law dates back to 1991, with amendments in 1997 and 2001," he told Forum
18. "But the 2001 amendments were only very minor. Life has changed." He
insisted that religious organisations need to be "better regulated in their
juridical aspects".

Armenia’s male Jehovah’s Witnesses also face problems as no genuinely
civilian alternative to military service exists. They told Forum 18 that as
of 1 January, a total of 81 young men had been sentenced and were serving
prison terms for refusing military service, while a further Jehovah’s
Witness is serving a suspended sentence on the same charges. Officials have
repeatedly – but wrongly – denied to Forum 18 that they have violated their
commitment to the Council of Europe to have introduced a genuinely civilian
alternative to military service by January 2004 (see F18News 11 December
2008 < 1228>). (END)

Further coverage of Armenian-related religious freedom issues is at
< mp;religion=all&country=21&results=50>

A printer-friendly map of Armenia is available at
< s/atlas/index.html?Parent=asia&Rootmap=armeni& gt;
(END)

© Forum 18 News Service. All rights reserved. ISSN 1504-2855
You may reproduce or quote this article provided that credit is given to
F18News

Past and current Forum 18 information can be found at

ARMENIA FUND SEEKS BETTER TIES WITH THE ARMENIAN COMMUNITY IN IRAN

armradio.am
09.02.2009 15:31

During his two-day working visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran,
Hayastan All Armenian Fund Acting Executive Director Ara Vardanyan
accompanied by Advisor to the Fund’s Executive Director Hrach
Hovhannisyan met with the Armenian Ambassador to Iran H.E. Karen
Nazaryan, Primate of the Armenian diocese of Tehran Archbishop Sepuh
Sargsian, Chairman of the Armenian Council of Tehran Aida Avanesian,
as well as with all other members of the Council, senior management
of the Ararat Sport Center in Tehran and the daily newspaper Alik.

Agreement on principles about the ways in which the Fund can establish
a permanent and more active presence in the Iranian Armenian
community were discussed and understandings were reached; but it
was also agreed that as there are three Armenian Councils in Iran,
the matter needs to be further discussed and coordinated with all
Councils, so that a unified approach can be adopted. During his next
trip to Iran Mr. Vardanyan plans to visit the Armenian communities
of Tabriz and Isfahan.

"It is no surprise that my first official visit was to Iran. The
Fund management has been seeking better ties and cooperation
with the Armenian community in Iran which has been involved and
greatly contributed to the Fund’s activities in the course of its
existence. The best recent example of their involvement in the Fund’s
activities is the lighting systems and water main built in Shvanizor,
Alvank and Nrnadzor villages. Engaging the Armenian community in Iran
in the already extensive affiliate network of the Fund will enable
to make a better use of our common resources," says Ara Vardanyan.

Rumors on Robert Kocharian’s participation in coming BH congress
neither refuted nor confirmed

936

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. Representatives of all NA factions
have been invited to participate in Bargavach Hayastan (Prosperous
Armenia) party’s 4th congress to be held on February 12. Besides, as BH
faction Secretary Aram Safarian said at the February 6 press briefing,
representatives from RF Yedinaya Rossiya, Ukrainian Partiya Regionov
parties have been also invited. As to former RA President Robert
Kocharian’s participation in the congress, he said that he cannot
answer that question for the present.

It should be mentioned that according to some publications in press, R.
Kocharian is expected to take part in the congress and to be elected BH
Honorary Chairman.

Answering the question about party’s possible participation in Yerevan
Mayor’s elections, faction member Naira Zohrabian said that the issue
has not been discussed in the ruling coalition yet, and only after such
a discussion BH can make a decision on its participation and on
nominating a candidate of its own.

PanARMENIAN.Net

Moscow ready to reverse course if Washington reviews its shield plans
07.02.2009 15:41 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Russia said on Friday that U.S. President Barack
Obama’s new administration offered a "window of opportunity" to
resolve deep divisions over U.S. missile shield plans in central
Europe.

Speaking at the start of the Munich Security Conference, an annual
meeting of leaders to discuss foreign policy, Russian Deputy Prime
Minister Sergei Ivanov said Medvedev is ready to reverse course if
Washington reviews its shield plans.

Ivanov said Russia will not install Iskander missile systems in the
Kaliningrad region if the United States gives up its missile shield
plans.

"President Dmitry Medvedev from the very start said clearly that if
there are no interceptors in Poland and the Czech Republic … there
will be no Iskanders in Kaliningrad," he said.

Moscow has strongly opposed U.S. plans to install 10 interceptor
missiles in Poland and a radar in the Czech Republic by 2013 as a
threat to its security and nuclear deterrent. Washington says the
defenses are needed to deter possible strikes from "rogue states" such
as Iran.

Medvedev threatened in November to retaliate over the U.S. missile
shield plans in central Europe by deploying Iskander-M missiles in the
country’s westernmost exclave of Kaliningrad, which borders NATO
members Poland and Lithuania.

AZG Armenian Daily #020, 07/02/2009

International

ARMENIANS IN TURKISH OPPOSITION PARTY

Translated by L.H.

According to Turkish press, approximately 5.000 citizens of Turkey are
admitted into Turkish opposition Republican People’s Party and have
got their badges, Marmara reports.

Turkish press underlines there are Armenians and Jews among the new
members of the party. The names of Raffi Hermon Araksi and Hrant
Topakian are mentioned among the new members of the opposition party.

ay-abkhazia-to-host-russian-bases/

FEATURE-Breaka way Abkhazia to host Russian bases

Denis Dyomkin
Reuters North American News Service

Feb 06, 2009 05:33 EST

SUKHUMI, Georgia, Feb 6 (Reuters) – Georgia’s separatist region of
Abkhazia plans to sign a deal allowing Russia to build two new
military bases there despite protests from the European Union and the
United States, Abkhaz officials said.

Abkhazia threw off Georgian rule in the 1990s and hopes the Russian
bases will help guarantee its independence from Tbilisi. Only Russia
and Nicaragua have recognised Abkhazia as a sovereign state.

Moscow’s military presence is already visible in Abkhazia, an
impoverished area running along the Black Sea coast.

A military unit, complete with huge radars, army tents and flying the
flag of the Russian air force, has been deployed near the resort town
of Gudauta where Moscow plans to revive a Soviet-era air base, a
Reuters reporter saw.

Abkhaz Deputy Defence Minister Garry Kupalba said a military treaty
with Russia could be signed for a 25-year period and include the
training of Abkhaz officers in Russia.

"Great nations should undertake obligations to safeguard the security
of small states," he told Reuters.

SERIOUS VIOLATION

Georgia sent troops to try to retake another separatist region —
South Ossetia — last August, triggering a brief war with Russia.
Moscow has pledged to station 7,600 soldiers in the two pro-Russian
separatist areas "to prevent a repeat of military aggression by
Tbilisi".

The European Union said a build-up of Russia’s military presence in
the breakaway regions would be "a serious violation of the principle
of Georgia’s sovereignty and territorial integrity" and would go
against the spirit of the EU-brokered ceasefire which ended the August
war.

But Moscow’s military preparations are going ahead.

Russian contract sergeants with heavy knapsacks throng a border pass
to Abkhazia. Numerous trucks and military police cars speed along a
road snaking through the mountains. Two Russian warships patrol the
sea near the region’s palm tree-lined capital Sukhumi.

Moscow is keen to re-establish its military influence in the territory
of the former Soviet Union and wants new bases abroad, while pressing
its ally Kyrgyzstan to shut down a U.S. air base there [ID:nL6133134].

A spokesman for the Abkhaz leadership said last week Sukhumi expects
to sign a deal in a few months allowing Russia to establish a naval
base in Ochamchire, at the border with Georgia proper, and an air base
in Gudauta near Russia.

Russia rents military bases in ex-Soviet nations Ukraine and
Tajikistan, and Abkhaz leaders say a military treaty with Moscow could
set similar terms.

"This would be in line with realistic, normal and civilised
relations," separatist Vice-President Raul Khadzhimba said.

Kupalba said thousands of Russian troops in the region could prop up
stability and help ensure the success of the 2014 Winter Olympics
which Moscow will host in Sochi, a few miles from Abkhazia’s border
with Russia.

BLACK SEA BASE?

Abkhazia, heavily reliant on Russia’s financial support, has also
touted Ochamchire as a replacement for the base in Ukraine’s
Sevastopol which hosts Russia’s Black Sea Fleet.

The fleet, stationed in Sevastopol for more than two centuries, is to
leave Ukraine in 2017 when the lease expires. Kiev, which wants closer
ties with the West, will not renew it.

But Abkhazia’s deputy foreign minister Maxim Gvindzhia has doubts,
pointing to the size of the Black Sea Fleet’s infrastructure and the
families of its service personnel.

"This (Fleet’s move) is unrealistic," Gvindzhia said. "This means we
would have to resettle half of Sevastopol to Abkhazia.

Gvindzhia also said he did not rule out a scenario under which the
question of the Russian bases could be used as a bargaining chip in
Moscow’s icy relations with Washington.

Moscow’s ties with Washington sank to a post-Soviet low in August over
the war in South Ossetia. But the new administration of U.S. President
Barack Obama has indicated it may not pursue two of the thorniest
issues — NATO expansion and a European anti-missile system — with
the same vigour as its predecessor.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday she hoped for
a more constructive relationship with Russia [ID:nN05398540].

"If Russia changes its mind and does not deploy a military base, this
could be caused only by a certain process of thawing relations with
Georgia and between Russia and the West," Gvindzhia said. (Writing by
Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: Reuters North American News Service

Former Ombudsperson: Murder of Deputy Head of RA Police is a result of
atmosphere of impunity

40

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. At the RA NA February 4 sitting
parliament Speaker Hovik Abrahamian presented his condolences to the
relatives of Deputy Head of RA Police, Colonel Gevorg Mherian killed
the day before. He said that the law enforcement bodies are obliged to
immediately undertake all necessary measures to disclose the crime and
to find the criminals.

Though it was a day of question and answer with the government in NA,
none of the deputies raised the issue regarding Deputy Police Head’s
murder and demanded commentaries from the government.

Zharangutiun (Heritage) faction member, former RA Ombudsperson Larisa
Alaverdian said in her interview to Noyan Tapan correspondent that the
atmosphere of impunity in the country results not only in violation of
people’s ownership rights, which the faction has repeatedly stated, but
also in graver crimes, among which is Deputy Police Head’s murder.

It should be mentioned that 34-year-old G. Mherian was killed in the
evening of February 3 near his apartment’s entrance from fire-arms
injuries in his head.