Member of the “Heritage” party, also a journalist, Hrayr Manukyan’s case regarding the intimidations of the NSS employee in now at the Court of Cassation, in which he had appealed the decision of the Court of Appeal related to leaving the decision of the First-Instance Court valid. Hrayr Manukyan, in conversation with Aravot.am, provided details regarding this case, “The defendant is the prosecutor’s office, which refuses to launch a criminal case, although it is clear that the National Security Service employee (now Serzh Sargsyan’s spokesman) has collected information about me and has tried to hinder the activities of our party. Collecting information pertaining to personal or family life is prohibited by the Criminal Code, Article 144, and the hindrance to the party activities – Article 161. In addition, not filing a criminal case means that among other Articles, Articles 18 of the Constitution of Armenia (Everyone shall be entitled to effective legal remedies) and 32 (Everyone shall have the freedom to choose his/her occupation, Compulsory employment shall be prohibited) are violated.”
As we have already informed, the NSS employee, Vladimir Hakobyan, who tried to the so-called “recruit” Hrayr Manukyan, is appointed in the position of the RA President’s spokesman. In this regard, Hrayr Manukyan said, “It, first of all, shows that the NSS leadership and Serzh Sargsyan believe that this guy has not done anything wrong, he had acted in a professional manner, therefore, the incident in connection with me should not bother or harm his career. If this guy was dismissed from work, it would mean that the NSS has appraised his work unsatisfactory and has considered that the recruitment should not be made by these methods. But the NSS has kept him to his office, and Serzh Sargsyan has given him a promotion, which shows that the NSS has always recruited using such method and continues considering this method to be the most effective method.
I am sorry for having an NSS at this level, where they do not accept that they cannot “recruit” leaders of the opposition parties by violating the legislation in Armenia that is declared to be an independent and a democratic country. Hrayr Manukyan mentions that he does not say that the NSS should not conduct recruitments at all but suggests that having “informants” for counterintelligence purposes is important for them and also for our country. Hrayr Manukyan says, “The matter is, first of all, the NSS method – to make a person an “informant” against his will, through violation of the legislation and blackmail. In addition, it is impermissible for the NSS to even approach the opposition party leaders, moreover, in a semi-authoritarian country like ours, where the government apparently uses these informants against the opposition forces. Moreover, I have no doubt that our NSS totally services the interests of exclusively Russia, even in terms of counterintelligence. It can be beneficial for Armenia only in the hundredth-importance issues, moreover, only after receiving “go ahead” from the Russian Secret Services”.
With regard to the appointment of the President Spokesman, Hrayr Manukyan stressed, “It shows also Serzh Sargsyan’s personal attitude towards the total media and the opposition field. Which means that we “are not so important” for him that even if we make the illegality of NSS obvious and public, it shall have any importance for him in terms of the treatment to his favorite structure’s favorite employees. Serzh Sargsyan does not care also that the case will be examined at the European Court and the international arena can know what kind of people he appoints as a spokesman”.
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Tatev HARUTYUNYAN
