DOES AMNESTY PAVE WAY FOR POLITICAL DIALOGUE?
by Marianna Grigoryan
EurasiaNet.org
May 26 2011
NY
Armenia’s parliament on May 26 approved a presidential amnesty
that will set free four individuals who are portrayed by government
critics as political prisoners. It remains unclear whether the amnesty
means that Armenian opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian and top
officials in Yerevan will now sit down to engage in a much-touted
“open dialogue.”
Authorities declared that their actions aren’t motivated by the
opposition’s demand for an amnesty of political prisoners, who were
jailed for allegedly stoking post-presidential election violence
in 2008. In May 20 remarks to parliament, President Serzh Sargsyan
linked the amnesty to the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s declaration
of independence from the Soviet Union.
Overall, 397 prisoners are slated to be released from prison on May
28 under the amnesty. An earlier amnesty in 2009 set free most of
those considered to be political prisoners by the opposition.
“I realize that some people will try to link the amnesty with the
March 1 [2008] events only, but the amnesty is a far more comprehensive
act aimed at solving global issues,” Justice Minister Hrair Tovmasian
told journalists.
The Armenian National Congress, the country’s largest opposition
coalition, is giving no public sign of celebration, or offering
praise for the government’s action. However, ANC representatives
earlier asserted that two of the soon-to-be-released prisoners –
Haykakan Zhamanak daily newspaper editor-in-chief Nikol Pashinian
and activist Sasun Mikaelian – would take part in the coalition’s
next rally, planned for May 31 in Yerevan.
Pashinian, a vibrant speaker and a driving force of the
pre-2008-election rallies, has been behind bars since July 2009 when
he surrendered to police after spending more than a year underground;
social network discussions often tag him as a potentially key player
in Armenia’s 2012 parliamentary elections.
Mikael Danielian, chairman of the Helsinki Association in Yerevan,
attributed the amnesty mainly to international pressure on Sargsyan’s
administration. At the same time, he noted: “If it had not been for
domestic pressure, there would be no international pressure.”
In recent weeks, Armenia faced strong criticism about its
democratization performance from the US government and the Council of
Europe. US Ambassador to Armenia Marie L. Yovanovitch declared April
22 that Armenia would not be eligible to apply for new Millennium
Challenge Account funds again until it meets program standards. And
on May 9, Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe’s commissioner for
human rights, criticized the government’s handling of the 2008 events.
The amnesty removes a major stumbling block to the opening of a
political dialogue between the opposition and government. But both
sides appeared reluctant to offer information about future plans. “We
will have our say when our people are free; for now, we just want
them to be free,” said ANC press secretary Arman Musinian.
Some analysts suggest the second half of 2011 could get “hot” in
Armenia. Alexander Iskandarian, the director of the Caucasus Institute,
suggested that the recent developments might embolden the ANC as the
country gears up for parliamentary elections next year.
Editor’s note: Marianna Grigoryan is a freelance reporter based in
Yerevan and editor of MediaLab.am.