Statement by the National Progress fraction of the Council of Elders of Yerevan about another illegal decision of city authorities
We invite the attention of the media, human rights organizations operating in Armenia, as well as states and international organizations supporting the development of democracy in Armenia.
On February 7, 2024, by the decision of the Yerevan City Hall, the former mayor, leader of the largest opposition fraction “National Progress” Hayk Marutyan and two other opposition members of the Council of Elders were expelled from the Council of Elders of Yerevan for the unfounded reason of “absence from elder meetings.” Although, Hayk Marutyan had stated several times that his failure to attend meetings of the Council of Elders was a political position and the only political instrument in the current configuration of the Council of Elders, allowing him to resist decisions initiated by the majority fraction. It is noteworthy that the ruling majority suspended only three members for snitching, although they themselves admitted that they could have suspended many more members, thereby revealing a purely political, and not a “disciplinary” motive for this action. This illegal action will be appealed to the administrative court and then to the Constitutional Court.
One way or another, already in March, the day before an urgent discussion of the problematic decision to increase tariffs for public transport in Yerevan, the City Hall made another illegal and anti-democratic decision. The fact is that taking advantage of the opportunity provided for in paragraph 7 of Article 29 of the RA Law “On Local Self-Government in the City of Yerevan” (“At the invitation of the mayor or faction of the Council of Elders, other persons can also participate in meetings of the Council, make speeches and answer questions”), the head of the “National Progress” fraction Aram Torosyan appealed on March 11 to the head of the municipal staff with a request to provide the opportunity for the de facto leader of the fraction, Hayk Marutyan, to attend the meeting of the Council of Elders on March 12. The Municipality rejected the application, citing the decision adopted on October 9, 10/09/2023 Yerevan City Hall order prohibiting the “entry of outsiders” into the Yerevan City Hall on the day of the meeting of the Council of Elders. Meanwhile, this order contradicts the requirement of the above-mentioned provision of the RA Law “On Local Self-Government in the City of Yerevan” and, according to Part 2 of Article 5 of the RA Constitution, cannot be the basis for banning the entry of the invited faction to a meeting of the person’s council.
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We declare that this is yet another illegal and unconstitutional decision of the Yerevan City Hall and is a continuation of the authorities’ arbitrariness to suppress the voice of the opposition, which contradicts the principles of democracy and violates the rights of about 44 thousand Yerevan residents who voted for our faction.
We strongly condemn this repressive behavior and call on civil society and representatives of states and organizations supporting the creation of democratic institutions in Armenia to clearly assess what is happening.
“National Progress” fraction of the Council of Elders of Yerevan
