March 4, 2008

Statement of Heritage’s Parliamentary Group

The Heritage party’s parliamentary group harshly condemns the improper and impermissible use of excessive force against the peaceful demonstrators, both in the early morning of March 1 at Liberty Square and throughout the evening of the same day and early hours of March 2 in downtown Yerevan. In actual fact, these actions have begotten numerous casualties and given cause for even more violations. Furthermore, in direct breach of Armenia’s commitments to the Council of Europe and the provisions of the European Convention on Human Rights—including the terms stipulated in Section 15—the incumbent president declared on March 1 a state of emergency in Yerevan.

During the special session of the National Assembly, which lasted from the late night of the same day to the early hours of March 2, Heritage MPs argued that the aforesaid declaration would escalate the tensions between the authorities and the opposition, and would serve only to agitate the national problem. The blockade placed against political parties, social associations, and the media, in particular, have drastically curtailed political and civil rights and freedoms. The members of Heritage’s parliamentary group also emphasize the necessity to take political steps toward resolving the situation, to end the bloodshed and violations, to investigate the crimes, and to bring the perpetrators to justice.

But during today’s special session the attorney general’s formal petition to take away the parliamentary immunity of our four colleagues and to launch a criminal investigation against them shows that we do not comprehend the gravity of this situation. This new measure taken by the authorities will no doubt destabilize the situation even further.

We believe that the preliminary investigation launched against those men is nothing but political vengeance and, among many dignitaries, the Council of Europe’s secretary general Terry Davis has made an appeal to the authorities to refrain from such reprisals. In the past two days, we have attempted to ascertain the whereabouts of, and to converse with, our four associates and many other detainees. Our attempts have been consistently hampered.

We declare that the preliminary investigation is biased, unfair, and unlawful. This is also demonstrated by the fact that the legal defenders of many of the accused were not allowed to see their clients. We are also deeply concerned with the physical and mental condition of those who have been arrested, especially since a number of them were subjected to various types of abuse. In our view, the revocation of the parliamentary immunity of our four coworkers and the carrying out of political vengeance against them constitute an open defiance to the honor and integrity of this country, its people, and the international community.

We call upon all our colleagues in the National Assembly to refrain from deepening the divide between the frustrated Armenian people and the authorities, and to say no to this petition, which will bring about unforeseeable catastrophic consequences. It is impermissible for us, the legislative branch of the Armenian government, to exempt our country and ourselves from international law and our own commitments to it. The wild passion, which has possessed certain bodies of power, to claim itself the victor in this situation at all costs is likewise impermissible. We encourage Armenia’s attorney general to consider the perilous nature of his petition and to withdraw it immediately. If approved, this petition will have a boomerang effect and none of the parliament members sitting here today will be able to defend himself from this boomerang’s return hit. The civic patience will have finally run out.

Dear colleagues, at this crucial moment for our nation, we ask you with all our heart, mind, and conscience to not play a part in the irreversible deepening of our people’s final abyss.

March 4, 2008
Yerevan