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  • Calls for violent overthrow of authorities to be punished

    Calls for violent overthrow of authorities to be punished - Armenian
    prosecutor

    Hayots Ashkarh, Yerevan
    2 Apr 04

    The Armenian prosecutor general has said that anyone found guilty of
    calling for the authorities to be overthrown by force will be punished
    within the framework of the law. Interviewed by Armenian newspaper
    Hayots Ashkarh, Agvan Ovsepyan explained the recent criminal case
    opened against members of the opposition Justice bloc. He said that at
    unsanctioned rallies the opposition had been insulting the authorities
    and calling for them to be overthrown. If the investigation finds any
    MPs guilty, then parliament will be asked to lift their immunity from
    prosecution. Ovsepyan said he had written to the chairman of
    parliament and the prime minister, saying that some deputies were at
    times engaged in criminal activity. The following is an excerpt from
    Kima Yegiazaryan's interview with Ovsepyan in Armenian newspaper
    Hayots Ashkarh on 2 April headlined "Prosecutor's Office will act
    within framework of law"; subheadings inserted editorially:

    An interview with Armenian Prosecutor General Agvan Ovsepyan.

    [Hayots Ashkarh correspondent] Mr Ovsepyan, according to information
    published recently by the Prosecutor General's office, on 30 March an
    action was brought against people who at unsanctioned meetings called
    for the forcible seizure of state power and a change in the state's
    constitutional order. Against whom exactly in the Justice bloc has
    this action been brought?

    [Agvan Ovsepyan] The action was brought by the deputy prosecutor
    general, [Zhirayr] Kharatyan, according to all the documents that the
    prosecutor's structures received in the regions and districts. All
    these documents evidently fall under the second part of Articles 301
    and 318 of the criminal code [public calls to change the authorities
    and constitutional system by force and publicly insulting an
    official], so the action was brought. We held a discussion before
    bringing an action. The action was brought on the basis of the
    facts. Since February representatives of the Justice bloc and their
    supporters, organizing mainly unsanctioned mass-meetings in the
    regions of Armenia and in Yerevan, have publicly insulted the
    authorities and called for state power to be seized by force.

    Parliament can lift deputies' immunity

    [Correspondent] Are there defendants or suspects? Specifically against
    whom have actions been brought?

    [Ovsepyan] An action has been brought over what happened and the names
    of representatives of the bloc and their supporters are mentioned in
    the decision. The investigation group has the objective of studying
    all the evidence in detail, of interrogating participants in the
    mass-meetings, those who made these calls and then to specify the
    identity of each of them according to the facts.

    [Correspondent] Some of those calling for the use of force are
    representatives of the Justice bloc and National Assembly deputies who
    have deputy immunity. In that case, how will the prosecutor's office
    settle the problem of making them responsible?

    [Ovsepyan] If the criminal case substantiates that any MP committed a
    crime, in that case we shall again act according to the law. The law
    on the status of deputies says that before an action is brought
    against them or they are arrested, the National Assembly should give
    its accord.

    [Correspondent] Stemming from the analysis you have already done of
    the meetings, who has been arrested?

    [Ovsepyan] Certainly we have the video tapes, but in order to avoid
    damaging the presumption of innocence, let me speak only about the
    evidence gained by the criminal case. Anyway I would like to say that
    in the calls of opposition representatives there were expressions
    which offended representatives of the authorities and their
    dignity. There were calls to break their heads, their backs. I am not
    a politician, but as prosecutor general I announce that the whole
    prosecutor's system should function within the framework of the law
    and should ensure the necessary protection of the values enshrined in
    law. And if we touch on the Criminal Code of Armenia, as it is
    foreseen in the legislation of all other countries, there are also
    relevant articles in our legislation, which foresee very strong
    responsibility for encroachment on the state and public system. And in
    this sense our legislation is no exception.

    Democracy does not mean anarchy

    [Correspondent] Recently they have talked much about sanctioned and
    unsanctioned meetings. The mayor's offices have function of giving or
    not giving sanction. Can you explain, according to what law Yerevan's
    mayor has the right to sanction the holding of any meeting or not to
    sanction it? Is there such a law?

    [Ovsepyan] Certainly there is. But first I would like to refer to an
    Armenian proverb that says: you are free but you are not free to
    hamper the freedom of others. Certainly, there is a right to organize
    meetings and demonstrations that stems from the principles of the
    democratic system, but everything, including democratic principles,
    has the obligation of a certain degree of law and order. Democracy
    does not mean anarchy. There is an order according to which mayor's
    offices and local authorities should sanction meetings and
    demonstrations. For this reason the organizers of meetings and
    demonstrations should apply to the local authorities, in particular to
    the local authorities of Yerevan and coordinate these events with
    them.

    [Passage omitted: some points of the law on state management in
    Yerevan]

    If you have noticed, these people who organized all these
    mass-meetings are trying to present them as meetings with their
    voters, they avoid calling them mass-meetings, but they are really
    mass-meetings. As for the meetings with voters, they also have
    regulations, before that a deputy should apply to the local government
    body and this body must give a venue and even a free hall for the
    meeting. But as I know, during meetings with voters they put questions
    to deputies and the deputies answer these questions. But during these
    mass-meetings voters listen to the calls, they are really
    mass-meetings.

    Moreover, I would like to say that I sent messages to the chairman of
    the National Assembly and prime minister that say, "Considering the
    criminal situation that has been created on the basis of the
    aforementioned phenomenon, I think it should be mentioned that
    deputies of the National Assembly, who have been voted in and given a
    deputy's immunity, instead of dealing with legislative activity,
    commit criminal actions from time to time, accompanied with
    unsanctioned meetings, demonstrations and other public events, during
    which there are public calls for power to be seized by force, the
    constitutional system of Armenia to be changed by force."

    Clash of views led to disorder at Gyumri rally

    [Correspondent] Albert Bazeyan [leader of the Anrapetutyun (Republic)
    party] says that they have some video tapes about the Gyumri events
    [some people were injured during an opposition meeting in Gyumri]. Did
    the government supporters really sling eggs at opposition supporters?
    Do you have any information?

    [Ovsepyan] Of course I have information. Just the same day an action
    was brought. I think that if we talk about a group of people that can
    have their own view concerning foreign and domestic policy as well as
    the activity of the authorities, other groups of people may also have
    their view and it is not at all necessary that their views should
    coincide. In Gyumri some people appeared who were against the calls
    made during the meeting and expressed their viewpoint. That time
    there was a clash during which women suffered and a disabled
    serviceman, who came forward with a statement that nobody has the
    right to express the view on behalf of all servicemen that everybody
    agrees that there should be a change of power. This disabled
    serviceman was also beaten.

    [Passage omitted: more details of the event]

    We have a video tape of the Gyumri events, there is no secret,
    everything is obvious.

    Criminal case prepared before Ovsepyan's appointment

    [Correspondent] Did the impetus to bring an action against the Justice
    bloc come from the president's administration? Or was it your own
    initiative?

    [Ovsepyan] The meetings were held before my appointment. So the
    documents which have become grounds for bringing an action were
    prepared before my appointment as prosecutor general. And as
    prosecutor general, I must carry out the obligations given to me
    according to the law.

    [Correspondent] According to you, what kind of actions does the
    opposition have the right to carry out? Let us suppose that the
    opposition holds meetings for 10 days, or three or four persons are
    holding a sit-down strike in front of the president's administration,
    how will the prosecutor's office comment on this?

    [Ovsepyan] To be honest, I am not going to offer a programme to the
    opposition. They themselves know very well what they can and cannot
    do. Being MPs they themselves adopted that law and know that better
    than me. I can definitely say that the prosecutor's office and
    law-enforcement agencies will not allow any encroachment on or
    breaking of the law. One may implement any action within the framework
    of the law. I was very impressed by the statement of the Armenian
    president that representatives of the opposition as well as of the
    government, all of them are Armenian citizens, I am the president of
    them all and I must guarantee the rights of all of them.
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