The political activities of the RPA and Armen Ashotyan personally are not close to my heart, both in the governmental and oppositional positions. But when the government sees political and personal revenge against the opposition figure, to be guided by sympathies and dislikes means to go against the principle. And the principle is as follows։ Any citizen of Armenia has the right to express any, including their strongly negative attitude towards the authorities of the day.
Of course, the CC members will say: Pashinyan and the government have nothing to do with it, there is a criminal case, an investigation is underway, our courts are independent, we are a legal state, etc… But the RPA members told the same tales when political persecutions occurred—carried out against the oppositionists of that time, including Pashinyan.
The problem is that the political forces protect not the principle but the interests of their “groups.” Unfortunately, the so-called “civil society” is also not guided by principles. Before 2018, they liked Pashinyan and other oppositionists, raised political prisoners’ issues, and wrote relevant reports to international organizations.
They (and probably those same international organizations) do not like Ashotyan because he is a “5th column,” and they do not raise a voice or, worse, repeat the theses of CC members. Therefore, those NGOs are not watchdogs of democracy at all.
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I should ask myself a “CC” style question: “Where were you when the “formers” were carrying out political persecution against Pashinyan and the rest?” I answer: In particular, I was in the editorial office of “Haykakan Zhamanak,” and I protested against those persecutions with my colleagues. Let me say more: after the departure of today’s government, I will protect the CC members and their leader when repressions begin against them. I write “when,” not “if,” because I am sure that, unfortunately, it will happen exactly like that.
ARAM ABRAHAMYAN
