Politics 20:10 23/10/2019 Armenia

“Not the time “to lackey” new shoulder straps, we may lose our homeland”: Ara Saghatelyan spoke about the criminal case against Babloyan and Babayan

Pastinfo.am spoke with the ex-Secretary General and Chief of Staff of the National Assembly Ara Saghatelyan.

- Mr Saghatelyan, the public is already aware of the circumstances of the case, within which your former deputy in the Staff of the National Assembly Arsen Babayan is sought by the prosecutors to be arrested, and ex-Speaker of the National Assembly Ara Babloyan has been named a suspect. How would you comment on these developments?

- First of all I have to say that both Ara Babloyan and Arsen Babayan are honest and decent individuals and involving them in this artificial case must have required very serious problems with reasonableness. Regarding the case in question, obviously I am attentively following the developments and judging by the publicly available information, I believe we are witnessing some unreasonable, disproportionate and unlawful series of actions which are accompanied by grave violations of rights. This is a futureless case, which would collapse in any court of law in the world, provided, of course, that the court didn’t implement a very rigid political order.

- Why are you so sure?

- I am not a lawyer, but these days I have been consulting with professionals, including non-lawyers. I can say that this case is dictated by political expediency and political order, it’s a groundless and futureless case, which already is shattering the perceptions out there around our country, our international reputation, meanwhile leading our society and the state to a dangerous end. Everyone by now understands that those who gave orders had a clear demand, and, it seems, to some it doesn’t make any difference how it’s going to be executed. No goal can be justified, if you are solving your issues by dishonest means and by gravely violating others’ rights. In this perspective the incumbent authorities by their own behaviour are forming a culture and precedents which are going to affect everyone’s future and are not going to lead Armenia or the Armenians anywhere much pleasant. The political motives and the employed toolset for the arrest of Arsen Babayan are simplistic and clear to understand, but those methods are abnormal and unacceptable. Therefore let me use your platform and address a call to our law enforcement officers: gentlemen, act by the law and with conscience, it’s not the time “to lackey” new shoulder straps, we may lose our homeland.

-In any case, is it clear to you what exactly Arsen Babayan or Ara Babloyan are being accused of? And are you going to support them?

-Let me reiterate, that this case is just hot air and the charge put forward can even be easily denied by an unsophisticated journalistic investigation.

Concerning my own plans, I will do everything possible to support my friends and colleagues in defending their rights, as well as for justice and sense of reason to prevail. And not only in their case. Our society is yet again pushed to make a choice in a dilemma: value system, or situational interests of the government. It’s a matter of fact that in Armenia we have a contradiction between the values and interests of the government and the society, in effect we have double standards, as well as unreasonable, disproportionate and unlawful actions. It’s sad that at this point, all the illegalities and violations of human rights, are all carried out under the banner of “popular will” and indifference and silence among traditional human rights advocates and foreign partners.

I believe that we are getting closer to a point where our homeland and Armenians worldwide need to be held back off dangerous developments, since the distortion of the idea of modernization and the widespread application of “the end justifies the means” approach by the authorities may in the next few months result in a situation which is normally called “point of no return”. We will thus appear in vicious circle when our national interests will be difficult to be served – starting from daily social and community needs and all the way to national security.



Source Panorama.am
Share |
Տեքստում սխալ կամ վրիպակ նկատելու դեպքում, ուղարկեք խմբագրին հաղորդագրություն` նշելով տվյալ սխալը, այնուհետև սեղմելով Ctrl-Enter:

Newsfeed

17:06
Drivers not using winter tires will face fines in Armenia
The Armenian government decided to ban the use of passenger cars and cargo vehicles weighing up to 3.5 tons from November 15 to March 31 if...
16:36
Kocharyan expresses doubts about judicial independence in Armenia
Second Armenian President Robert Kocharyan expressed doubts about the independence of Armenia's judiciary after Supreme Judicial...
16:04
Israel-Hezbollah ceasefire unlikely to last long, expert says
The US-France-brokered ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah is unlikely to last long as the underlying sources of the...
15:30
Seoul blanketed by heaviest November snow in 100 years
Seoul has recorded its heaviest November snowfall since records began over a century ago in 1907, BBC News reported. The South Korean...
15:15
Belarusian leader comments on Armenia's absence from CSTO summit
Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko commented on the absence of Armenia as he addressed a meeting of the CSTO Collective Security Council...
14:57
Armenia’s SJC fails to elect new chairman
Armenia's Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) failed to elect a new chairman at its meeting on Thursday. The judicial oversight body said in...
14:35
Baku summons Polish diplomat over Duda’s visit to Armenian-Azeri border
Polish Charge d'Affaires Michal Greczylo on Thursday was summoned to the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry. The ministry raised protest...
14:00
Global coalition backs Artsakh Armenians' right to return home
A broad-based global coalition of faith-based and civil society organizations are endorsing a public call to establish an international...
13:35
More snow expected in Armenia on Thursday
More rain or snow is forecast for some parts of Armenia on Thursday. The upper parts of the capital Yerevan are also likely to see wet snow...
13:05
Armenian government approves 2.44 billion drams to co-finance community programs
The Armenian government has approved the allocation of around 2.44 billion drams to co-finance programs in Armenia's provinces. The...
12:36
Developments around Gyumri municipal council decisive, expert says
The ongoing developments surrounding the Gyumri City Council play a pivotal role, political analyst Stepan Danielyan claims. His comments...
12:00
Holy Lance to be brought out on November 30
The Armenian Apostolic Church will celebrate the Feast of the Apostles St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew on 30 November this year, the...
11:30
Armenia's Sofia Baghramyan wins World Cadet Chess Solving Championship
The World Cadet Chess Solving Championship was held in Montesilvano, Italy, on the sidelines of the World Cadet Chess Championship 2024....
11:15
Armenian, U.S. envoys meet in Washington
Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Lilit Makunts on Wednesday had a meeting with U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Kristina Kvien at the...
11:00
Cher says upcoming album will 'probably' be her last
After supplying fans with nearly five decades of pop and dance anthems, Cher announced she may have one project left to release, Rolling...
17:02
Armenian foreign minister to travel to Finland
Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan will pay a working visit to Finland on November 28-29. The meeting between Mirzoyan...
16:54
Armenia welcomes Israel-Lebanon ceasefire
The Armenian Foreign Ministry has welcomed the ceasefire agreement between Israel and Lebanon's Hezbollah. "Armenia welcomes the...
16:36
Expert says Armenia told to ask for EAEU summit to be held in St. Petersburg
Political technologist Armen Badalyan has dismissed the claims that Armenia independently decided to ask Russia to hold the upcoming meeting of...
16:03
Six arrested in London over links to Kurdish rebel group
Six people have been arrested by counter-terrorism police in London for suspected activity linked to the banned militant group, the Kurdistan...
15:45
Simon Abkarian's 'Electra' to hit the stage in Yerevan
Renowned French-Armenian actor and director Simon Abkarian’s play “Electre des bas-fonds” (Electra in the Underworld) will be...
15:11
Hayastan faction to discuss Gegham Nazaryan's further activities, fellow MP says
The opposition Hayastan faction in the Armenian parliament will discuss MP Gegham Nazaryan's further activities, his fellow MP...
14:45
Opposition MP criticizes Armenia's move to freeze CSTO membership
Opposition MP Artur Khachatryan deplored the decision to freeze Armenia's participation in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty...
14:05
Ex-MP Armen Charchyan's probation period reduced
Armen Charchyan, a former MP and director of Izmirlian Medical Center, had his probation period reduced from three years to one....
13:34
Armenia's ruling party names pick for SJC member
Armenia's ruling Civil Contract party has picked Alexander Sirunyan as its candidate for a member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC)....
12:45
Georgia's ruling party picks ex-football player as presidential candidate
Georgia’s ruling party chose Mikheil Kavelashvili, a former soccer player and current lawmaker, to be their presidential candidate in the...
12:30
US seeks full control of Armenia, Russian intelligence says
The United States seeks to bring Armenia entirely to heel, Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) said in a statement seen by TASS....
12:00
Nikol Pashinyan to skip CSTO summit in Astana
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan will not participate in the CSTO summit to be held in Astana on November 28, his spokesperson...
11:35
Heavy snow hit parts of Armenia
A powerful cyclone has delivered heavy snowfall to some parts of Armenia, the Hydrometeorology and Monitoring Center reports. Lori Province,...
11:17
Book reveals 8,000 letters by Armenian survivors of 1890’s Turkish massacres
By Harut Sassounian TheCaliforniaCourier.com I just received the first volume of a valuable book published in Yerevan in 2021 that makes...
11:06
Iran welcomes Lebanon ceasefire deal
Iran welcomed the ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Tehran’s main militant partner in the Mideast, AP reported....

Follow us and get updates!

Most popular articles

{"core.blocks.header.spell_message1":"Selected mistake: ","core.blocks.header.spell_message2":"Send a message about the mistake?"}