When Samvel Babayan was imprisoned in 2000-2004 on the charges of organizing an attempted murder against NKR President Arkady Ghukasyan, I, as regular, was congratulating his birthday in the “Aravot” newspaper (which as we know is also the birthday of Vazgen Sargsyan), as well as expressing a hope that President Ghukasyan will grant him a pardon which eventually took place. I appreciated and continue to appreciate Babayan’s military merits, and I am always in favor of humane and lenient attitude.
Now, he is again arrested, and I notice two extreme approaches. One obviously violates the presumption of innocence, and the other hurries to declare him a “political prisoner.” The culture of living in a state and by the state laws is still on a zero level, which causes some misunderstandings.
Driven by this culture, I will express my attitude which perhaps does not have a direct connection to this case, and with which, of course, the majority of Armenians do not agree. For me, it is not a principle issue which party will get the majority seats in the National Assembly and what coalitions will be formed. However, it is highly important for me that the NSS and other law enforcements resolutely prevent all attempts of armed political struggle which they failed to do in the case of “Sasna Tsrer”. If there is an illegal weapon somewhere, it must be confiscated; if there is a group somewhere that is going to solve the domestic political problems with the help of a weapon, the group members must be arrested. Later, let them name the arrested as “political prisoners”, let the “ratings” go up and down, the harm from such conversations is much less than the recurrence of “Sasna Tsrer”. Normal citizens who, in my opinion, totals the minority in Armenia should demand the law enforcements not to repeat the mistakes of July last year rather than to complain why they are taking measures to prevent the armed protests.
The remaining issues whether it is going to be the RPA or PAP, I repeat, it is secondary, life will continue on April 3. The main problem will remain the same: educate and enlighten our society, to bring up free and lawful citizens. Equally free and lawful.
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Aram ABRAHAMYAN
