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  • will they hand oskanian over?

    WILL THEY HAND OSKANIAN OVER?

    http://www.aravot.am/en/2012/09/29/114735/
    September 29, 2012 13:24

    Parliamentary immunity is a right thing. No matter how much citizens
    protest against it, particularly before elections, no matter how
    much they legitimately claim that semi-criminal businessmen long for
    entering the parliament to guarantee their impunity, nonetheless, it
    is a necessary democratic norm. The well-known legal principle applies
    here - better that ten guilty persons escape than that one innocent
    suffer. In this case, better that say Mher of Tokhmakh or General
    Manvel have parliamentary immunity than Vartan Oskanian not have.

    I didn't particularly like Vartan Oskanian's activities before his
    becoming an oppositionist. If he was such a convinced democrat, why
    didn't he speak out when elections were rigged, oppositionists were
    sent to prison and abused, when A1+ was closed? Or why did he rush to
    dismiss the diplomats who stated very mildly that one had to conduct
    the 2008 election fairly? In the foreign policy, the "Meghri option"
    seems to me just horrible - it is good that it was not realized. He
    as a member of the team also bears responsibility for the March 1
    slaughter and brutal persecution of the opposition.

    But those are Mr. Oskanian's political sins, for which he is
    accountable to the society and not to the law. They are cooking up a
    case against him - and no one doubts that it is the case - not for
    "official," but for subsequent opposition activities. So it is one
    thing whether he has the moral right to talk or not to talk about
    say democracy or fair elections. It is another thing that he will be
    jailed for crimes he hasn't committed.

    To imprison an MP, one needs the consent of his colleagues. Taking into
    account the qualities of this and former convocations of the National
    Assembly, it is quite possible. In 1998, the majority of MPs withdrew
    Vano Siradeghyan's immunity with unrestrained joy. They knew quite
    well what Robert Kocharyan would do with them and their businesses,
    if they unexpectedly decided not to "hand over" Vano.

    Moreover, they joined the officially instigated "anti-Vano" hysteria
    not sparing eloquence, in order to curry favor with the then government
    ofArmenia. By the way, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF)
    members joined it too taking revenge on the Pan-Armenian National
    Movement (PANM) that had persecuted them in the past. Now the
    atmosphere is absolutely different - there is no fear of "being
    punished"; there is no hysteria.

    I think there will be no revenge of the Armenian National Congress
    (ANC) members taken on the Kocharyan supporters who persecuted them.

    Therefore, I hope that the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP), the
    ANC, the ARF and the Heritage Party will vote against withdrawing
    Oskanian's immunity and there will be MPs among the Republicans who
    are individuals and not representatives of an indistinct mass.

    ARAM ABRAHAMYAN

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