Eduard Sharmazanov, the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, thinks that it is not right to hold MP Ruben Hayrapetyan accountable for his bodyguards’ deeds. As for the fact that on the very funeral day of Vahe Avetyan who died as a result of Harsnakar security officers’ beating, Hayrapetyan’s bodyguards beat up another citizen, a driver of no. 81 share taxi, Mr. Sharmazanov said to www.aravot.am that the Republican Party had always treated illegal actions negatively and had always condemned, regardless of who had done that. However, according to Mr. Sharmazanov, the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) doesn’t make political assessments of legal issues, “We live in a country where we build democracy and democracy implies the principle of the division of powers. There are legal bodies – the police and the prosecutor’s office should discuss every incident and punish using the full force of the law.” In response to our question whether it was possible that Mr. Hayrapetyan would be deprived of the MP office or the right to have bodyguards, Mr. Sharmazanov said, “You say the thing that is miles away from the reality. There is a state, there is a law-enforcement system and they have to condemn using the full force of the law, regardless of who violates the law. We don’t live in the period of lynch law, when vendetta is in force. If someone proves that Ruben Hayrapetyan, Sharmazanov, Armen Ashotyan or any other Republican has personally violated the law, there is no problem, go and apply, put forward facts, there are law-enforcers for that and if there are no facts, I am against politicizing anything.”
Let us mention that today, according to the publications in the press, National Assembly member Ruben Hayrapetyan’s bodyguards (perhaps, security officers of the restaurant) violently beat up a driver of no. 81 share taxi. The driver by the name of Smbat just ventured to turn the car in order not to hit a trolley car, but Hayrapetyan’s bodyguard was driving by in his Toyota “Jeep” with 20 ՏՕ 888 license plate and got very angry with what had happened and beat the driver up.
Arpine SIMONYAN
