The comments of Vardan Harutyunyan, the head of the Center for Freedom and Rights, on Vartan Oskanian’s case
* Will you agree that the interest of the National Security Service (NSS) in the business of Vartan Oskanian has political overtones, particularly against the background of the fact that it is discussed that V. Oskanian may be the Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) candidate in the upcoming presidential election.
* I don’t know whether Vartan Oskanian will be nominated a candidate for president by the PAP or not. This is not essential at the moment. However, I am convinced that prosecution against him has political overtones. The nature of the charges is not essential either. The ruling government has not had problems in the past few years with choosing an article of the Criminal Code, which they deemed appropriate at that moment, in order to silence or punish opposition politicians. There has been money laundering, as well as resistance to authority, hooliganism, slander, threat to constitutional order. There has been everything. There is nothing novel. Appearing as an oppositionist is sufficient – they will surely find an appropriate article in the Criminal Code for him. However, it is important who the future defendant is. Oskanian has been the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia for many years. This is a serious factor.
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* How do you assess Vartan Oskanian’s position, when then Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Arzumanyan was charged with the same crime?
* In Arzumanyan’s case, the source, from which the money was gotten, was obvious. Moreover, the man who had sent that money made a few statements that he had sent that money. There was money, there was the clear and obvious source of money, but it was talked about money laundering only because Arzumanyan was an oppositionist and it was ordered to punish him. It is a pity that the same Oskanian being in power at the time didn’t make a statement that this case was obviously cooked up. Judging from Oskanian’s public statements, today he is in the same condition as Arzumanyan was at the time. It would be appropriate to recall Martin Niemöller’s words that it is dangerous to remain silent when people that have nothing to do with you are persecuted only because they have nothing to do with you. They will come after you, once they are finished
with him. This new case of Oskanian should be a stimulus for all those that keep silent. There is no doubt that the time will come when they will come after those who keep silent.
* How will you comment on Nikol Pashinyan’s assessment that he will not be surprised, if it is revealed that Oskanian is involved in money laundering, since “the government’s functionary of many years is very experienced in cooperating with Serzh Sargsyan and Gorik Hakobyan on such matters”?
* There is no issue of being surprised or not being surprised here. Oskanian was a part of that system, a very serious and weighty part. But it doesn’t mean that one should tolerate the fact that today they have initiated a prosecution against him for political reasons. This cannot be a pretext for revenge or malevolence. It is an absolutely different issue what and how Oskanian did during his tenure. He, as well as many old and new members of the establishment, will be held accountable for that, but even that account should not include revenge or political overtones. Yes, it is obvious that forces and figures that are a part of the government are allowed everything in Armenia. They can easily launder money, they can openly take bribe, they can instantly become rich, they can violate written and unwritten laws and remain unpunished. This is not novel. However, Oskanian is persecuted today for taking a certain political attitude and it is necessary to talk about this fact at the moment. If there hadn’t been that attitude, they wouldn’t have prosecuted him, even if the allegations of money laundering had been confirmed.
* There are speculations that the scenario that the NSS should deal with Vartan Oskanian’s case was devised at 26 Baghramyan Street and there couldn’t be more convenient moment to open such a case, in order that the PAP might not make statements as if the government tried to put a “newly-emerged opposition force” under pressure. Do you think this scenario is possible?
* There couldn’t have been not only charges against Oskanian, but even an invitation to a harmless talk without 26 Baghramyan Street. Law-enforcement institutions, as well as courts, tax bodies are under the unequivocal and careful supervision of the president. They do what they are ordered to do. It is naïve to hope that Oskanian or anyone else can prove that he is innocent through a trial or at the stage of preliminary investigation. And the relationship between the PAP and the government is beyond classic politics. Generally, the Armenian policies are adopted and pursued at the level of explanations, retaliations and tough guy notions characteristic of the underworld. At these levels, I don’t have anything to say, as a rule. I would just like people sitting at 26 Baghramyan Street to sober up.
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
