Today the trial court of Ajapnyak and Davitashen administrative districts postponed the first hearing of the lawsuit brought by Satanist blogger Bayandur Poghosyan against One Nation Party. The Satanist blogger sued the One Nation, since the party called Bayandur Poghosyan an “ideological bastard” on its Facebook page. The bailiffs informed that Judge Ani Mkhitaryan considering the case was at “seminars” and the next session would take place on April 16. After the bailiffs’ statement, the supporters of the One Nation and the Satanists who were a few dozens of young people, priests and anti-Sectarians were not going to leave, they started an “out-of-court” debate trying to prove to each other that they were right.
Alexander Amaryan, the Head of the Center for Help and Rehabilitation to Victims of Destructive Cults, advised the sides to find the reasons and then start to fight.
Gor Tamazyan, the deputy chairman of the One Nation Alliance admits that what was said to Bayandur Poghosyan really “contains an impolite word,” however he thinks that the party is not responsible for its member Karapet Tumanyan’s statement made “arbitrarily.” During a conversation with www.aravot.am, Gor Tamazyan said, “Karapet Tumanyan has filed a motion in the court, telling that he was the author. Besides, he has gotten a strict rebuke for carrying out arbitrary activities, not informing us and using an impolite word. We accept criticism, but we don’t accept slander and curse.” Nonetheless, Karapet Tumanyan has brought a countersuit. According to Gor Tamazyan, “But we welcome the claims that are included in the countersuit – i.e. Anti-One Nation page that contains curses and slander should be closed, the administrators of that page should make a public apology to the One Nation Alliance, the Armenian Apostolic Church and Khachik Asryan, the head of the Armenian Eagles NGO, because these are the forces that have been the victims of slander.”
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Bayandur Poghosyan thinks his action was “fight against lie.” During a conversation with www.aravot.am, he said, “There are a few options of fighting against lie – go and beat someone up, there is another option of cursing someone and there is the civilized option of solving the issue by legal means. We have chosen the third option. They have published deceitful and slanderous information about us, trying to discredit. Why would they publish such information about me, if I am engaged in protecting human rights and fighting against discrimination? Gor Tamazyan has assessed that struggle as nation-destructing for a long time already, whereas I think that respect and protection of human rights – and not just writing all that on paper – is one of the most important preconditions for nation-building. I understand that we are ideological opponents, but it doesn’t give him the right to spread slanderous information about me.”
We inquired from representatives of the Armenian Apostolic church outside the court whom have they had come to defend – Satanists that, according to the clergy, are lost and should be set on the right path or the One Nation. “We have come to familiarize ourselves with details,” Father Yeghishe said, during a conversation with www.aravot.am. Bishop Komitas Hovnanyan also added “to defend national interests.” Responding to our question with a question, Bishop Komitas Hovhnanyan said, “Do you defend the interests of your family or the interests of some Hans Jason’s family? If Jason enters your family and starts to ruin your family, the interests of which family will you defend? We defend the interests of our family that an Armenian woman remains an Armenian woman and an Armenian man doesn’t become a prostitute, but remains an Armenian man, his family’s pillar and his country’s defender.”
Lusine BUDAGHYAN
