Yesterday, someone by the name Grigor from the National Security Service called musician Vahan Artsruni on his phone inviting him to NSS to talk. After the conversation, the musician’s post on the Facebook page and generally his Facebook page was blocked for his friends. In the conversation with Aravot.am, Vahan Artsruni told how he is concerned by this incident, “What is the purpose of creating this atmosphere, meaning to bother people, invite? What is the intention of asking such questions? What goal do they pursue? Is it to create an atmosphere of morbid stir and fear? Is this the year of 1937? What is this?”
Vahan Artsruni said that he had posted on his Facebook page series of photos from the meeting of the intellectuals of the Ministry of Culture with the President and posted a note, “A fact of two interesting meetings on the same day when the President meets with the so-called legitimated intellectuals in Artsakh while I am invited to NSS to talk to me and the essence of the conversation is not clear to me until now.” At the NSS, the musician was asked 4 completely obscure questions for him, “The person introducing himself by the name Grigor asked for a meeting with me, he mentioned the address on Amiryan Street and the meeting took place in his office inside the building. The first question was whether I have connections with the “Founding Parliament” or not, the second question was whether I was in Khorenatsi Street during the well-known incidents or not, the third question was about my income, what income I have, the fourth question was whether I am living by my address, whom I am living with and the family members.”
When we asked whether he was not asked why they need this and why they are asking such questions, Vahan Artsruni replied, “No, the first question I asked as soon as I appeared there was whether my presence in that room is not a violation of the Constitution, and the answer was that they have just invited to talk. I asked whether this was a non-official meeting in an official office, and how we should understand this, they said that they just have a few questions to ask, we are grateful that you have not refused and came.”
To our question of whether you have called the “Founding Parliament” on the phone during events of “Sasna Tsrer” group or to one of its members, therefore he was called to NSS, Vahan Artsruni replied, “I do not attend rallies for about 15 years. My only attendance to a rally was 2 years ago during the protest of “Electric Yerevan” when Nikol Pashinyan called me on the phone at night and said that if we do not form a live wall now, the police will attack our guys. I spent that night until morning as a living wall with the intellectuals and clergy. My civic position has been clear in this case. My connection with all these processes was not political but civic. But when I am invited on the phone and during 40 minutes I am asked questions which are intended to determine my political position without a notice, without a protocol and without explaining my status …. I was explained today that when inviting to such facilities they must explain whether they are inviting me as an accused or as a witness, in short, what my status is. I do not have the answers to these questions, therefore I turned to the Ombudsman to make this episode clear to me because I as a citizen do not understand what is going on. I am terribly worried about this because I clearly understand that if I was bothered with this and we cannot connect the ends together to make a meaningful conclusion while I have both the public and constitutional means to defend myself, I can raise the problem, however, I understand that the ordinary citizen who can face the same reality does not have this opportunity.”
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Vahan Artsruni applied to the Ombudsman with a question of whether asking such questions does not imply an element of political pressure in him and whether these 4 asked questions does not contain a concealed threat. The answer from the ombudsman’s office will be clear on Monday. As the musician said, “I’m also curious what answer I will get from them, if the answer is not exhaustive I will have to apply to international tribunals. If I understand that I am not protected by the Ombudsman as a citizen, I am ready to apply to other levers. What else should I do? I must show with my own example the directions that people should go to protect their rights.”
Hripsime JEBEJYAN
