Wednesday,
Armenian Oppositionist Freed For Now
• Naira Bulghadarian
Armenia - Opposition figure Avetik Chalabian speaks at the start of his trial,
Yerevan, .
An Armenian opposition figure was released from custody late on Wednesday more
than two months after being arrested on what he sees as trumped-up charges.
Avetik Chalabian was charged on May 13 with trying to pay university students to
participate in daily anti-government demonstrations in Yerevan.
The charges are based on leaked audio of short fragments of his conversation
with the head of the student council of the Armenian National Agrarian
University. Law-enforcement authorities say it shows that Chalabian offered 2
million drams ($4,800) for the presence of 2,000 students at daily opposition
rallies in Yerevan that began on May 1.
Chalabian’s lawyers say that the recording, which first appeared on a
pro-government website, was doctored by the authorities. They have repeatedly
demanded the release of full audio of the conversation, saying that it would
disprove the accusations.
Chalabian, who leads a small opposition party, has described them as government
retribution for his active participation in the protests aimed at forcing Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian to resign. Prosecutors deny any political motives.
The 49-year-old oppositionist walked free from a prison about 50 kilometers west
of Yerevan one day after the start of his trial. He was released immediately
after the expiry of the duration of his detention sanctioned by a court.
The prosecutors could have asked the judge presiding over the trial to extend
the detention period during a court hearing scheduled for Wednesday morning. The
hearing was adjourned, however, after the prison administration told the judge
that Chalabian cannot attend it because of having a fever and high blood
pressure.
Speaking at the opening session of his trial on Tuesday, Chalabian accused
Pashinian of “persecuting” him and his family. He appeared to echo allegations
that his brother Ara, who holds a senior position in the Armenian Central Bank,
is under strong government pressure to resign.
Armenian media reports have claimed that the Central Bank governor, Martin
Galstian, has told Ara Chalabian to quit his job, citing an order from Pashinian.
The bank’s press service reacted vaguely to those reports while Pashinian’s
office declined any comment earlier this week.
Ara Chalabian also remains silent on the subject. There have been no official
announcements of his dismissal or resignation so far.
Armenian Judge Dismissive Of Leaked Audio Scandal
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia - The Supreme Judicial Council holds a hearing in Yerevan, July 26, 2021.
An Armenian judge confirmed on Wednesday that he had organized a dinner meeting
the leaked audio recording of which forced the controversial head of the
country’s judicial watchdog to resign.
Stepan Mikaelian, who is also a member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC),
said he sees nothing wrong in the content of the 14-minute recording publicized
last month.
It features a February 2021 conversation between Ruben Vartazarian, the then
chairman of the SJC at odds with the Armenian government, and Gagik Jahangirian,
a newly appointed member of the body overseeing Armenia’s courts. It suggests
that Jahangirian warned Vartazarian to step down or face criminal charges.
Vartazarian ignored the warning. Two months later, he was indicted and suspended
as SJC chairman while Jahangirian became acting head of the judicial watchdog.
The audio secretly recorded by Vartazarian caused uproar in Armenia, with
opposition figures and civic activists demanding that Jahangirian be not only
sacked by also prosecuted. The latter claimed that he did not blackmail his
predecessor. Still, he announced his resignation from the SJC on July 1.
Mikaelian has also faced resignation calls from government critics who believe
that he too was involved in the illegal pressure exerted on Vartazarian.
The judge dismissed those calls when he spoke to journalists in Yerevan. “You
take part in different conversations in different places. So what?” he said.
Mikaelian claimed that both Jahangirian and Mikaelian are his “friends” and that
he took them out to dinner to try to ease “some tension” between them.
Armenia’s Investigative Committee launched last week a criminal inquiry into the
leaked recording. It said it is investigating possible abuse of power and
obstruction of justice. The law-enforcement body has not indicted anyone so far.
Opposition Blasts Likely Choice Of Armenia’s Top Election Official
• Gayane Saribekian
Armenia - The Central Election Commission meets in Yerevan, 3Apr2017.
A leader of the main opposition Hayastan alliance on Wednesday condemned the
ruling Civil Contract party’s reported plans to install a longtime associate of
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian as chairman of Armenia’s Central Election
Commission (CEC).
Tigran Mukuchian, the current CEC chairman who has been in office since 2011,
will complete his tenure in October. His successor should be elected soon by the
Armenian parliament controlled by Civil Contract.
Armenian newspapers reported earlier this month that Pashinian’s party will
nominate one of its senior lawmakers, Vahagn Hovakimian, for the post.
Hovakimian did not deny the reports when he spoke to RFE/RL’s Armenian Service
last week.
The National Assembly is also due to appoint the six other members of the body
administering general and local elections and releasing their results. Its
factions had until July 25 to make initial nominations for the CEC positions.
Civil Contract has still not named its candidates. The leader and the secretary
of its parliamentary group did not answer phone calls from RFE/RL’s Armenian
Service on Wednesday and earlier this week.
Maria Karapetian, another parliament deputy from the ruling party, said it is
still discussing possible candidacies. She too did not deny that Hovakimian
could become the CEC’s next chairman.
Armenia - Opposition leader Artsvik Minasian, .
Artsvik Minasian, a senior lawmaker representing Hayastan, decried the possible
choice of Hovakimian, saying Pashinian is seeking full and direct control over
electoral process in the country.
“For them [the current authorities] there is no more important thing that
appointing members of their gang to key positions,” charged the opposition
leader.
Minasian argued that Armenia’s former leaders did not install their confidantes
or overtly partisan figures as CEC chairpersons. “These people are trampling
underfoot everything and openly violating all principles,” he said, referring to
Pashinian and his political team.
The Armenian constitution stipulates that the chairperson and members of the CEC
cannot be affiliated with any political party or engage in political activities
otherwise during their tenure.
Mukuchian, the outgoing CEC chairman, had been installed by former President
Serzh Sarkisian’s administration. Pashinian for years accused the former
Armenian authorities of rigging elections. But he apparently did not try to
replace Mukuchian after coming to power in 2018.
Remittances To Armenia Soar In 2022
• Sargis Harutyunyan
Armenia - A schoolboy walks past a currency exchange sign in Yerevan, 17Dec2014.
Money transfers to Armenia have risen sharply this year amid an influx of
thousands of skilled Russians which followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Data from the Armenian Central Bank shows that local commercial banks processed
a total of $1.27 billion in incoming remittances from individuals in January-May
2022, up by 70 percent year on year.
Cash inflows from Russia accounted for three-quarters of this gain. They more
than doubled in absolute terms, totaling almost $680 million during the
five-month period.
By comparison, remittances from the United States rose by 21 percent to about
$257 million.
Thousands and possibly tens of thousands of Russian nationals, many of them tech
professionals, relocated to Armenia following the outbreak of the war in Ukraine
on February 24. An even larger number of Russians is thought to have opened
Armenian bank accounts.
The South Caucasus state also receives multimillion-dollar remittances from
hundreds of thousands of its own citizens working in Russia. The Russian ruble
is now stronger against the U.S. dollar than it was before the war despite
crippling Western sanctions imposed on Moscow.
The Armenian dram has similarly strengthened by 15 percent against the dollar
and 29 percent against the euro since February 24.
Armenia - Newly arrived Russian citizens in Yerevan, March 7, 2022.
Gevorg Papoyan, the pro-government chairman of the Armenian parliament committee
on economic issues, claimed on Wednesday that the soaring remittances to the
country are the result of government policies.
“Our economic policy of attracting investors and protecting their rights,
maintaining financial stability and ensuring fair competition has been a
success,” he said.
Tadevos Avetisian, an opposition lawmaker and economist, dismissed the claim,
linking the increased cash inflows to economic consequences of the Ukraine war.
“These ‘hot money’ inflows will fall as quickly as they have increased if this
accidental factor disappears,” Avetisian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “So
pinning big hopes on them or setting ambitious objectives because of them is
just wrong.”
Both lawmakers agreed that the sharp rise in remittances is significantly
contributing to economic growth in Armenia.
Right after the outbreak of the war, the growth was projected to practically
grind to a halt this year given Armenia’s closer economic ties with Russia. But
it on the contrary accelerated in the following months.
The Central Bank governor, Martin Galstian, said last month that the Armenian
economy is now on course to expand by 4.9 percent.
“This has mainly to do with the presence of foreign visitors in Armenia and the
Russian economy’s short-term performance which is not as bad as we expected
earlier,” Galstian said.
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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