“This is a show,” Avetik Ishkhanyan, a human rights advocate, said during a conversation with www.aravot.am about the statement released by Serzh Sargsyan’s headquarters yesterday, which called on the public to inform the headquarters when there were cases of collecting passport information. A. Iskhanyan went into detail: “Only the supporters of the candidate who has political leverage can have passport information collected for some reason. Therefore, those condemnations are doubtful, since I don’t think that the supporters of the ruling party’s candidate don’t know how their supporters work in the field. This is a statement for show, rather than real concern.”
Artur Sakunts, the head of Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Vanadzor Office, doesn’t see genuine concern in the released statement either. He said resentfully during a conversation with us: “Everyone was taken to Serzh Sargsyan’s meeting yesterday in Vanadzor by an order; then when he had talked for less than 15 minutes, everyone left the hall. What genuineness can we expect? Schools, kindergartens, everyone was taken to the meeting by an order. Not that people were dying to meet with Serzh Sargsyan, they missed him. I am asked about genuineness after that. It is an obvious fake and a lie; as if they disorient that they are struggling too, but they direct, manage the violations.”
Coming back to the president’s campaign, A. Sakunts noted: “It is a campaign meeting with the use of typical Soviet methods of propaganda. To bring people to ensure a crowd scene, in which the king makes a speech, and everyone applauds. It is typical theater of Neronian times when he utters something stupid, and everyone starts to applaud, since a soldier stands next to every row.”
Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
