Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

Militant Intellectuals Declare 'War' On Government

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • Militant Intellectuals Declare 'War' On Government

    MILITANT INTELLECTUALS DECLARE 'WAR' ON GOVERNMENT
    Irina Hovannisian

    Radio Liberty, Czech Rep.
    Sept 30 2006

    More than a hundred intellectuals sympathetic to the Armenian
    opposition called on Friday for a popular uprising against the
    government which they claimed is "illegitimate" and infested with
    "criminal elements."

    A joint statement adopted by them at a conference urged Armenians
    to "declare war on this regime and return power seized by criminal
    traitors to the people." They accused the authorities of planning to
    rig next year's parliamentary election.

    The militant activists also said their anti-government group
    called Intellectual Forum is joining the "anti-criminal movement"
    launched by 15 opposition parties the previous night. In a joint
    declaration, the parties expressed concern at what they see as a
    growing "criminalization" of the government and the political scene.

    Intellectual Forum leaders had earlier pledged to name those government
    officials who they believe have underworld connections.

    However, their angry statement mentioned only President Robert
    Kocharian and Defense Minister Serzh Sarkisian.

    "These two men have effectively usurped power," a leader of the group,
    Rafael Ghazarian, told RFE/RL. "They have not been legitimate since
    [the presidential election of] 2003."

    Asked to name the alleged "criminal elements," Ghazarian singled
    out Minister for Local Government Hovik Abrahamian, Transport and
    Communications Minister Andranik Manukian and even Prosecutor-General
    Aghvan Hovsepian. "He is simply a criminal element," he said of
    Abrahamian. "He has no right to hold any state post."

    The latest opposition accusations have already been dismissed by the
    Armenian authorities and their supporters. In a joint statement last
    week, a group of other prominent intellectuals mostly supportive of
    the Armenian leadership described the verbal attacks as an "attempt
    to undermine our statehood." They alleged that Intellectual Forum
    is being manipulated by unspecified opposition leaders collaborating
    with foreign intelligence services.
Working...
X