Author: Christine Harutyunian

                                        Friday, 
Pashinian Says Ready For Snap Elections
ARMENIA -- A participant addresses Armenian law enforcement officers during an 
opposition rally outside the government office to demand the resignation of 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Yerevan, .
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Friday expressed readiness to hold fresh 
parliamentary elections next year and offered to negotiate with Armenia’s 
leading political groups for that purpose.
“I am not clinging to the post of prime minister, but I also cannot adopt a 
careless attitude towards power and the post of prime minister entrusted to me 
by the people,” Pashinian said in a statement posted on Facebook. “The fate of 
that post and the country’s further political leadership must be decided by the 
people through a free expression of their will and I … consider myself a 
guarantor of that free of expression of their will.
“I can give up the post of prime minister only if the people decide so,” he 
said. “Should the people reaffirm their trust I am also ready to continue 
leading the Republic of Armenia in these difficult times. There is only one way 
to answer these questions: the conduct of pre-term parliamentary elections.”
“Based on that, I am inviting parliamentary and interested extraparliamentary 
forces to consultations on holding pre-term parliamentary elections in 2021,” 
concluded Pashinian.
Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian emerges from the main govenment 
building in Yerevan to lead a procession to the Yerablur Military Pantheon, 
December 19, 2020.
Virtually all Armenian opposition parties have blamed Pashinian for the Armenian 
side’s defeat in the recent war in Azerbaijan and demanded his resignation. 
Their demands have been backed by President Armen Sarkissian, the Armenian 
Apostolic Church and many public figures.
An opposition coalition uniting more than a dozen parties has been holding 
anti-government demonstrations in Yerevan and other parts of the country in a 
bid to force Pashinian to hand over power to an interim government. Its leaders 
maintain that only that government must hold the snap elections.
Citing what he described as a poor attendance of the continuing anti-government 
rallies, Pashinian said on Friday that the opposition campaign has not won 
popular support and is fizzling out.
The beleaguered prime minister earlier dismissed the protests as a revolt by the 
country’s traditional “elites” that lost their “privileges” after he swept to 
power in 2018.
Opposition Party Seeks Parliamentary Probe Of Karabakh War
        • Artak Khulian
Armenia -- Deputies from the opposition Bright Armenia Party attend a parliament 
session, Yerevan, May 26, 2020.
The opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK) has called for a parliamentary inquiry 
into the causes and the outcome of the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“Ever since the war ended with the November 9 ceasefire the most important 
questions preoccupying the Armenian people have been: why did diplomacy fail to 
prevent the war, why did the war break out … and why did we lose?” LHK leader 
Edmon Marukian said on Friday.
Marukian’s party wants these questions to be answered by a “fact-finding group” 
that would mostly consist of deputies from the three political groups 
represented in the Armenian parliament: the ruling My Step bloc, the LHK and the 
opposition Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). Each of them would appoint four 
members of the group.
Three other members would be named by other forces which finished fourth, fifth 
and sixth in the 2018 parliamentary elections and failed to win any seats in the 
National Assembly. They include the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia 
(HHK) and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun).
“The group must work and draw up conclusions regarding the pre-war period and 
the war,” said Marukian. “The parents of our heroes, our soldiers and everyone 
must know what happened … Until we answer these questions we cannot carry on 
with our lives and build a strong Armenia.”
My Step, which is headed by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, and the BHK said 
they will discuss the LHK proposal and respond to it.
The BHK, Dashnaktsutyun and the HHK are part of a coalition of more than a dozen 
opposition parties that has been holding anti-government protests in a bid to 
force Pashinian to resign over his handling of the war. Although Marukian’s LHK 
is not involved in the protests it too has blamed Pashinian’s administration for 
the Armenian side’s defeat in the six-week war.
The prime minister has repeatedly rejected opposition demands for his 
resignation. “I consider myself the number one person responsible [for the 
defeat] but I don’t consider myself the number one guilty person,” he told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian Service on December 16.
Armenian Ban On Imports From Turkey Set To Take Effect
Armenia -- A commercial truck enters Armenia from Georgia through the Gogavan 
border crossing, November 29, 2018. (Photo by the Armenian State Revenue 
Committee)
Armenian tax authorities said on Friday that they will start enforcing next week 
a government ban on the import of all Turkish goods to Armenia which was imposed 
during the recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
The Armenian government cited Ankara’s “inflammatory calls,” arms supplies to 
Azerbaijan and “deployment of terrorist mercenaries to the conflict zone” when 
it approved the ban on October 20. It said the measure is meant to not only hurt 
Turkey financially but also neutralize “various kinds of dangers” relating to 
imports of goods from the “hostile country.”
The ban will come into effect on December 31 and remain in force for six months. 
Government officials have said that it could be extended.
In a statement, the State Revenue Committee (SRC) warned importers to “strictly 
comply” with the ban, saying that “enhanced customs controls” will be put in 
place at Armenian border checkpoints. The SRC said they must be prepared to 
produce documents indicating the “country of origin” of goods imported by them.
The statement also stressed that Turkish-manufactured products cannot be 
re-exported to Armenia from Georgia, Russia or any other country.
According to government data, Armenia imported $178 million worth of Turkish 
goods, including clothing and machinery, in January-October 2020. The imports 
from Turkey were down by 15 percent year on year.
Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian expressed confidence in October that 
Armenian businesspeople will not have trouble importing the same types of goods 
from other countries or manufacturing them in Armenia. He said the government 
plans to subsidize loans designed for such import substitution.
Turkey has refused to establish diplomatic relations with Armenia and kept the 
border between the two states closed since the early 1990s out of solidarity 
with Azerbaijan. It has also banned all imports from Armenia.
Another Anti-Pashinian Mayor Avoids Arrest
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - Kajaran Mayor Manvel Paramazian.
An Armenian court blocked on Friday the arrest of another town mayor who has 
demanded Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s resignation and backed protests 
against his rule.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee asked the court on Wednesday to remand Manvel 
Paramazian in pre-trial custody immediately after charging him with kidnapping 
and beating up another man in April this year.
Paramazian denies the charges. His lawyer, Yervand Varosian, told RFE/RL’s 
Armenian Service that the court found no legal grounds to allow his arrest.
Paramazian has run Kajaran, an industrial town in southeastern Syunik province, 
since 2016. He was among the heads of more than a dozen provincial communities 
who issued earlier this month statements condemning Pashinian’s handling of the 
war with Azerbaijan and demanding his resignation. They accused him of putting 
Syunik’s security at grave risk with Armenian troop withdrawals completed over 
the weekend.
The mayors encouraged hundreds of local residents who blocked a regional highway 
to disrupt Pashinian’s visit to Syunik on Monday. One of the mayors, Arush 
Arushanian, was detained hours before the protest.
A Yerevan court ordered the Investigative Committee to free Arushanian on 
Tuesday.
Nevertheless, the law-enforcement agency leveled a string of criminal charges 
against the 29-year-old mayor of the town of Goris and demanded a court 
permission to arrest him again. The court rejected the demand on Thursday.
Paramazian and Arushanian have led some of the government-backed local militias 
that were set up in October to defend Syunik against advancing Azerbaijani 
troops.
Armenian President, PM Discuss Political Crisis
Armenia -- President Armen Sarkissian (L) and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
meet in Yerevan, November 12, 2020.
President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian met late on 
Thursday to discuss lingering political tensions in Armenia resulting from the 
recent war in Nagorno-Karabakh.
“The meeting focused on the situation in the country, the emerging challenges, 
the safety and defense of Armenia’s border communities, ongoing efforts to 
restore normal life in Artsakh and the Government’s support measures,” 
Pashinian’s office said in a short statement.
The presidential press service issued an identical statement on the meeting held 
amid continuing opposition protests against Pashinian’s rule.
With no other details reported, it was not clear if the two men reached any 
understandings on how to end the political crisis.
Sarkissian held earlier a series of consultations with the leaders of various 
Armenian political groups, including members of a coalition of more than a dozen 
opposition parties staging the protests in a bid to force Pashinian to step down.
The president, who has largely ceremonial powers, has repeatedly backed 
opposition demands for Pashinian’s resignation and the formation of an interim 
government that would hold snap general elections within a year. He has said 
that Armenia is in a “deep crisis.”
The prime minister has rejected these demands, dismissing the anti-government 
protests as an “elite revolt” not supported by most Armenians.
Some Pashinian allies have said that the ruling political team is ready to 
discuss with the opposition the possibility of snap elections.
Opposition leaders insist that the vote must be held by the transitional 
government. They blame Pashinian’s administration for the Armenian side’s defeat 
in the war with Azerbaijan and say it is not capable of meeting security 
challenges facing Armenia.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
 

Human Rights Watch
Investigate and Hold Those Responsible to Account
Dec. 16, 2020
[Photo: Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, built in the 19th century and an
important building for the Armenian Aposotlic Church, after it was
struck twice in the afternoon on October 8. Damage to the roof south
of the main dome can be seen as well as debris on the church grounds.]
Azerbaijani forces attacked a church in the city of Shushi on October
8, 2020 during the Nagorno-Karabakh hostilities, in what appears to be
a deliberate targeting in violation of the laws of war, Human Rights
Watch said today.
Two separate attacks, hours apart, on the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral on
October 8 in the town of Shushi, also known as Shusha, suggest that
the church, a civilian object with cultural significance, was an
intentional target despite the absence of evidence that it was used
for military purposes. Weapon remnants Human Rights Watch collected at
the site corroborate the use of guided munitions. President Ilham
Aliyev said that the church could have been targeted only by mistake
and was “not among military targets.” The attacks took place while
Armenian forces still controlled the city. Azerbaijani forces regained
control of the city on November 8, having lost it in hostilities in
1992.
“The two strikes on the church, the second one while journalists and
other civilians had gathered at the site, appear to be deliberate,”
said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights
Watch. “These attacks should be impartially investigated and those
responsible held to account.”
On September 27, Azerbaijan began air and ground attacks across
Nagorno-Karabakh, an escalation in the conflict between Azerbaijan and
Armenia and the local authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh. Fighting
continued until November 10, when Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Russia
concluded an agreement to end the hostilities.
Shushi is approximately 10 kilometers from Nagorno-Karabakh’s largest
city, Stepanakert. Several attacks on Shushi were reported in the
first days of fighting. By early October, many of its residents had
fled, though some civilians remained, including men, women, and
children.
The Cathedral, constructed in the 19th century and an important
building for the Armenian church, was attacked twice in the afternoon
on October 8. No one was injured or killed in the first strike as the
civilians in the church at the time were sheltering in its basement,
but three journalists for Russian outlets were injured in the second
strike. Reports of the first attack were posted on social media
channels beginning around 12:30 p.m.
Human Rights Watch spoke to four civilians who were at the church or
in its immediate vicinity during one or both attacks, including two
injured in the second attack.
Human Rights Watch visited the church on October 13 and spoke to two
witnesses. Nune Shahramanyan, 46, who lives across the street, said
that she and her children and some neighbors had been sheltering in
the church basement since September 27.
“I had just gone to buy bread for my family … [who] were in the
[church] basement,” she said. “And when I heard that sound [of the
explosion] I saw … the debris and [heard] sirens starting. And I saw
[three] planes. Then I ran back….I saw that my children were safe and
I was relieved…. There was so much debris and stones falling.”
She said that seven or eight people were in the church basement at the
time of the attack, all civilians. She said she did not see anyone
else outside the church at that time.
Vova Zakaryan, 71, said he had just entered the basement just before
it was struck: “I just hugged the… children and told them that they
don't need to panic.” Zakaryan said that people had been coming to
pray and light candles in the church since September 27, but that only
he, the children, and some neighbors were in the basement during the
first attack. Zakaryan said no one had been guarding the church since
the beginning of the hostilities.
Shortly after the first attack, journalists began arriving at the
church grounds. Numerous photos and videos of the damaged exterior and
interior were posted online.
Damage to the ceiling of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral
[Photo: Damage to the ceiling of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral south of the
main dome following the first strike in the afternoon of October 8.]
The damage included a hole approximately one-meter wide in the church
ceiling, just south of the main dome. Debris from the blast could also
be observed on the church grounds. In photos circulated at that time
on social media, remnants from a weapon can be seen, consistent with a
munition capable of being accurately directed at a specific target,
including components that support the movement of other pieces, such
as fins or wings, consistent with a device that has a terminal
guidance system.
Yuri Kotenok, a journalist who arrived in the afternoon, said he
didn’t see any military equipment or personnel.
Around 5 p.m., the church was attacked again. Kotenok, Levon, Arzanov,
and Vahram – who asked that his real name not be used –, all
journalists, were inside during the strike.
Vahram said that no one else was in the church at the time and that
they were headed toward the exit when the strike hit:
    “At that moment there was a blast, a powerful one, we all were
scattered... [T]here was total darkness… then the dust started to
settle. I was near Yuri. We tried to take him from underneath the
rubble; I could not. I got out to the street…[M]y hand was torn, and I
had injuries on my back and on my head.”
Damage to the southern portion of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral roof
[Photo: Damage to the southern portion of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral
roof following both strikes on October 8. The fragmentation pattern on
the walls of the church below the roof, which appear only after the
second attack, suggests the weapon used likely was equipped with a
time-delayed fuze.]
Kotenok also described the moment of the attack: “I heard an awful
crack and then it was hell and my friend was knocked down and flew.
There was shouting and blood and he was trying to ask if I'm alive and
I was trying to articulate that I was, but I was under stones and
wood.”
Kotenok said he was carried out of the church and transported to the
hospital in Stepanakert for surgery, then airlifted to Yerevan.
Damage to the southern portion of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral roof
[Photo: Damage to the southern portion of Ghazanchetsots Cathedral
roof and debris on the church floor following two attacks on October
8. The fragmentation pattern on the walls of the church below the
roof, which only appear after the second strike, suggests the weapon
used likely was equipped with a delayed fuze.]
In addition to injuries from fragments to his head, neck, abdomen,
arms, and left foot, Kotenok said he had lung damage and a concussion.
Seven days after the attack, he said he had bad headaches and hearing
difficulties.
In addition to Vahram and Kotenok, Levon was also injured and treated
in a hospital in Shushi.
A Human Rights Watch researcher examined the damage to the church and
collected remnants from munitions. Human Rights Watch was not able to
identify the munitions used in each attack but found remnants
consistent with munitions capable of being accurately directed at a
specific target and making corrections to its flightpath after
release. Some of the remnants Human Rights Watch found and documented
matched those circulated on social media following the first attack.
However, photos of other remnants do not appear to have been posted
elsewhere. No remnants found match any publicly documented
air-to-ground weapons.
The Azerbaijani government has denied intentionally striking the
church, instead asserting without evidence that the church was
attacked by Armenian forces as a “provocation” or that it may have
been mistakenly struck by Azerbaijani artillery.
However, multiple factors indicate that both attacks were directed at
the church. The remnants found indicate that the weapons used were
capable of being directed at a specific target. The two strikes struck
the same part of the church roof, with no more than two meters
difference between the point of impact. This substantially reduces the
possibility that less precise weapons were used, given their inability
to achieve such a high degree of accuracy over two strikes.
Additionally, Human Rights Watch is not aware of any additional
reports of strikes in Shushi around the church at the time of these
attacks, suggesting that each attack was a single strike.
International humanitarian law, also known as the laws of war,
requires warring parties to distinguish between civilian objects and
military objectives at all times. Attacks directed at civilian objects
that are not used to commit hostile acts or are otherwise not military
objectives are prohibited and may constitute a war crime. Warring
parties are also required to respect cultural property and special
care must be taken to avoid damage to buildings dedicated to religion
and historic monuments. They must not be attacked unless imperatively
required by military necessity.
Serious violations of the laws of war committed with criminal intent –
deliberately or recklessly – are war crimes. Governments have a duty
to investigate allegations of war crimes by members of their armed
forces or forces on their territory and to fairly prosecute those
found responsible.
On October 15, President Aliyev said that Azerbaijan would need to
investigate the attack. On November 9, BBC published an interview with
Aliyev, who said in response to a question about the result of the
investigation: “In order to investigate it, we have to be there to
investigate.”
“It has been over a month since Azerbaijan has retaken control of
Shushi and the government needs to waste no time in investigating the
attacks and holding those responsible to account,” Williamson said.
“Attacks such as these serve no military purpose and all parties
should ensure these kinds of attacks are punished and otherwise
prevented.”