In the CIS countries, besides explicitly feudal regimes, governments like to use charms like “it is common in the international practice,” “we keep abreast with the civilized world,” “we make the legislation closer to the international standards” etc. It is like the gas price, which comes closer to the European price year by year in Armenia. Yes, it sounds proud to some extent. However, there is a “small detail” here – our wages don’t approach the European ones in any way.
The decriminalization of offense and slander was such a “progressive step.” They say people pay big fines for such things in the civilized world. Yes, certainly it is so. But in that same civilized world courts are independent, judges understand what the boundary between, let’s say, assessment and offense is and the “offended” are not only officials and oligarchs.
Now the Russian government has decided to provide for huge fines “in accordance with the international standards” for holding rallies. And there is a justification again – it is common in the developed countries, is it not? Yes, but in those countries, it is also banned to put artificial obstacles in the way of peaceful rallies. In those countries, police officers don’t give false testimonies as if the protesters have attacked them and most importantly, in those countries, judges are not in the government’s pocket, they don’t take false testimonies as gospels and don’t base their verdicts on those. By the way, we witnessed all that also in Armenia during the cases of March 1.
That problem is important for us today too. Firstly what happens in Russia is very often almost completely copied in our country. Secondly after this summer “ceasefire,” rallies will surely start in Armenia in September. It is hard to say whether they will be massive or not. However, one thing is clear that there are figures among the oppositionists who are ready to use the energy of adolescents to stir up activity in the streets. One should take into account that the presidential election to take place next February will most probably be held with the same fraud devised recently and the fundamentalist part of the society will be displeased again – in that case people will take to the streets again. And the government should show tolerance and flexibility here, in order to prevent a new March 1 from happening.
Read also
And most importantly, one shouldn’t “adjust our legislation to the international standards.” Because you may “adjust” it just outwardly, but taking into account the underdevelopment of our state and social institutions, in reality you move away from them. Therefore, you do more harm than good.
Aram ABRAHAMYAN
