RETURN FIRE: DEPUTY MINISTER LASHES/THREATENS CRITICS OF THE ARMY
Vladimir Gasparyan
ArmeniaNow
News | 18.10.11 | 11:22
Photo:
By Gayane Lazarian
In reference to the controversial death cases in the armed forces
of Armenia and civic society’s response, Deputy Minister of Defense
Vladimir Gasparyan said during a news program on H1 Public TV that
some human rights organizations are trying to politicize and have
made a daily habit of criticizing the army “aptly-inaptly”.
Enlarge Photo Artur Sakunts
“I suggest refraining from personal attitude, inaccurate information,
because you are affecting the army’s combat capacity,” said Gasparyan.
The deputy minister went on to threaten punitive measures against
such criticism, though he did not specify what such measure might be.
Commenting on the activities of the same human watch NGOs earlier in
his interview to Zinush (“armed force”) TV Program, Gasparyan said:
“How can a person’s heart ache for his country when s/he receives
funding and salary from other countries. How can a person’s heart
ache when s/he thinks: the louder and the more controversial the case,
the better, because in that case we can make even more money.”
Gasparyan defines human rights activists fighting along with the
parents of deceased soldiers as having no motherland, no decency and
no dignity. (His comments came in response to outcry over general
conditions in the army, and specifically to public reaction over
three deaths in the ranks last week that were ruled “suicides”,
even though at least one body appeared bruised.)
Human rights activist Artur Sakunts, head of Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly Vanadzor office, says that such threats by officials are
meant to divert public attention.
“The same Vova Gasparyan has serious problems in the very legislative
field he is making reference to. People like him have no place in
the system. He’d better lower his head and start working on all those
cases that our office has submitted to the Defense Ministry warning
of the morals and manners in the army. We have received numerous
messages about (such cases). He bears direct responsibility for those.”
Gasparyan stressed that human rights organizations are merely trying
to appease their funders.
(Sakunts’ organization, which is based in Armenia’s third largest
town of Vanadzor, is a non-political, non-religious, non-profit NGO.
Therefore, for most of its projects it relies on funding, including
grants, from different local and international foundations.)
“My beloved ones, what other orders have you received from your
clients, what information about our army do they want? Maybe you
could publicize the whole list and then go line up in front of motley
foreign foundations,” Gasparyan said.
Sakunts says the deputy minister has no idea what civic watch means.
He also points out that the threats voiced by Gasparyan are not just
against him.
“All this is not just against me, but the ‘The Real Face of the Army’
initiative. We are not going to retreat. This assault means that our
struggle is yielding some results. Quite soon we will make another
statement. Our soldiers’ lives and their rights have to be protected in
the Armed Forces, those abusing our soldiers and officers – physically
or in any other way – have to be identified and held accountable… I
will continue this fight along with my friends; human rights defense
is going in the right and effective way,” Sakunts told ArmeniaNow.
Mikael Danielyan heading Helsinki Association for Human Rights says
the army has long been politicized despite the deputy minister’s
claim that it’s not.
“The army takes part in elections and offers big service to the
authorities, and the results are falsified. And when they bring in the
army in order to disperse crowds, it speaks volumes how politicized
the army is. And this is what leads to impunity,” says Danielyan.