As you know, the press conference of the second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan was to be held in the “Erebuni Plaza” business center today at 12:00 with all Armenian media being invited. It was expected that during the press conference important political statements would be made and answers to many questions would be given. However, a group of people who are well-known to the public as pro-government activists and close friends and colleagues of Nikol Pashinyan, hindered the conference, and playing a cheap scene in front of cameras, presented themselves as “frustrated people”. The names of the main “actors” have already appeared in social networks and the press, and their identity leaves no doubt about the organizer of the scene.
Today’s well-planned and organized incident can be regarded as minor hooliganism and be overlooked. It is clear that President Robert Kocharyan, in any way, will publish his views on the most recent political issues through a new press conference or interview. However, it should be emphasized that what happened was, in essence, a crude and desperate attempt by the authorities to impede the opportunity of political oppositionists to express their views and communicate with the public through the media. This is nothing else than a brutal pressure on dissent or, as recently one of the well-known political figures has noted, a terror of thought. Today’s incident confirms the growing public and political fears that the new government does not tolerate dissent, and carries out political persecutions against oppositionists, especially against those whose political weight and perspectives are a cause of serious concern for them.
Second President of Armenia Robert Kocharyan’s Office
