The opposition says the bloody shootout in Nigavan last weekend was “political” and the government (particularly the police) insists it was not, it was “domestic.” The boundaries between “political” and “domestic” should probably be clarified.
Were the killings in Aragast Cafe a political event, a similar crime near the Harsnakar restaurant, the battle at “TETS Krug,” or the shooting of a man near the house of former Syunik governor Surik Khachatryan? If “political” means the struggle of ideas for a better future, then all these events, including the Nigavan shooting, are not political. But if we want to know about the manners that have prevailed in Armenia for 30 years and the arrogant attitude of the people associated with the authorities, then all these episodes are very telling and have to do with the policies pursued during these decades.
The party of the acting chairman of the Supreme Judicial Council and the former holder of that position was also not a political event. Two men sat down, “ate a piece of bread,” and one recorded the other. But what Jhangiryan said is directly related to politics. And it’s not about his vocabulary at all. We can all feel free in such an environment. The problem is the content of what Jhangiryan said. He once again confirmed what we know without him. Law enforcement agencies and courts have been and continue to be involved in lawlessness for 30 years, allowing arbitrariness, and the price of not being punished for them is to be loyal to the political authorities. Jhangiryan actually admits that he interfered in the criminal cases, prevented them from being initiated, and ensured the immunity of some people. The same can be said of any high-ranking law enforcement official. In this context, making cases against “undesirable” people and imposing unfounded detention sanctions on the demand for investigation has been and remains a common, everyday phenomenon for 30 years.
If you think that all this will be followed by an investigation, you are very wrong. Anna Vardapetyan, being the Prime Minister’s assistant, also reportedly had special “contacts” with investigators. Maybe that’s why she is being appointed Prosecutor General. As for the question of whether these events are “political” or not, if we use the term “politics” with all scientific accuracy, we can say that the debate between the government and the opposition in parliament is also not political.
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Aram Abrahamyan
