After the 2008 election, President Serzh Sargsyan stated in his message addressing the National Assembly, “We all know quite well that events happen in our reality when individuals decide to act from a position of strength, decide they can solve issues by force in the street. I clearly state that it is not comprehensible for me, it is unacceptable for me. Nobody in the Republic of Armenia can think that he is immune, nobody in the Republic of Armenia can attribute the state powers to himself. I offer everyone to avoid rooted vicious customs, because the results will really be visible.”
Today Aravot.am inquired from Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) MP Vardan Ayvazyan and Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) MP Lilit Galstyan whether the president had implemented his promise during these past years or not. According to Lilit Galstyan, this promise, along with a set of other promises, has not been implemented, “Generally, I will not deny that there is violence in our reality and it is from the political arsenal. In particular, the case with the governor of Syunik – there is a set of stories related to violence in the biography and political behavior of the governor, but they were concealed in this way or another. It is quite understandable that generally the rules of the game are absolutely different in our reality. I think it is profitable to have that governor as an administrative resource, although he discredits the establishment, law-enforcement bodies, because we have yet another manifestation of arbitrary decision and attitude.”
Vardan Ayvazyan thinks that positive changes have been made since 2008, “Yesterday I heard Silva Hambardzumyan’s statement, she said that she accepted the apology, therefore she didn’t try to continue. The victim is satisfied and the assessment of the attorney’s office couldn’t be more than that. Certainly in terms of behavior, it is right, a representative of the establishment should have shown more modest behavior, because it is the focus of everybody’s attention, but it should also not be fateful. However, if we consider the period since 2008, there have been positive changes in this regard – many high-ranking officers, starting with the internal affairs bodies, have born responsibility for violence, beating people.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
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