Has
everything done to prevent the unjust sentence on the pilots of Armenia?On
the 26 of November, 6 Armenian pilots – the crew captain of the "AN-12"
cargo plain Ashot Karapetian, the second pilot Samvel Darbinian, the steersman
Samvel Majkalian, the mechanic Razmik Khachatrian, the technicians Suren Muradian
and Ashot Simonian were condemned for 14 to 24 years of freedom accused of taking
part in the coup attempt in the Continental Guinea. The members of the Armenian
delegation the ambassador Sergey Manasarian and the deputy chief of the RA state
ceremonial service Gevorg Petrosian who followed the trial met the general secretary
of the ruling party in that country yesterday. They will also meet the leadership
of foreign departments to produce the RA Government decision on going over the
pilot’s case once more. "The advocate of the Armenian pilots Ponsiano Mbombo
Nvo is going to make a protest against the court decision in the high court of
the Continental Guinea but the court hasn’t given the written form of the court
decision to the advocate,"- is said in the RA MFA announcement yesterday.
It is also announced "the Armenian official delegation is still in that country
to discus the issue of Armenian pilots with the local authorities."According
to "Aravot’s" information the "Tiga Air" airline to which
belongs the "AN-12" cargo plain cares the expenses of the Armenian pilot’s
advocate. "Tiga Air" signed an agreement with the German CAL airline,
which rented that plain to realize trade flights to the Continental Guinea. But
the German airline doesn’t want to be responsible for the occurrence. Some people
even suspect the German and Armenian above-mentioned airlines have been informed
about the events in the Continental Guinea and the possibility of transferring
weapons. In the result our pilots have become scapegoats. The RA authorities
keep permanent connection only with the advocate of the Armenian pilots. And the
source of information for the pilot’s relatives is only Sergey Manasarian and
some rumors. It is obvious that any petty information about the pilots is very
important for their relatives. The brother of the condemned pilot Samvel Majkalian
Lado Majkalian said contentedly that the Armenian delegation has already 5 times
been in that country during the 9 months of the pilots’ arrest. Is there any alternative
version besides turning to the high court of that country and in case of negative
answer turning to the international court? Majkalian answered: "I know everything
is being done to sign an intergovernmental agreement to allow our pilots to return
to Armenia. The other possible version is the possibility of granting amnesty
by the President of the Continental Guinea. It is also said there is the RA president’s
letter in which he asks for allowing the pilots to carry the punishment in Armenia.
But I don’t know how it is possible."What about the RA MFA activities:
" The last three visits of our delegation weren’t in vain, at least we were
informed they’re alive. Three of our pilots were seriously ill and no medical
assistance had been done. But after our delegation’s visit they had been given
medicines. It is said the members of Red Cross also visited our pilots by the
request of the pilots’ wives." The court decision declared on the 26
of November showed that the activities of RA authorities hadn’t been satisfactory
to support our pilots. What else is possible to do? According to our high ranked
diplomats we may send a note which will make the international instances to put
that case into discussion. We may lead everyday work not only with the advocate
of our pilots but also with our ambassador in the UNO, with the countries that
have diplomatic representations in the Continental Guinea and Armenia for example
with the authorities of Russian Federation and its ambassadors. It may be influential
and show how the RA authorities are interested in the fate of its compatriots.
Naira Mamikonian