“Phenomenon of Duplicity and Deception prevails in Serzh Sargsyan” Sakunts notes
07:05, February 8, 2013 | News | Electoral Rights
A report on “Situation of Human Rights Defenders in Armenia from January 2011- November 2012” has been compiled by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor, a member of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders, which in fact is the first report regarding the situation of human rights defenders in Armenia.
Artur Sakunts, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor, in an interview with 1in.am stated that has nothing changed after the publication of a report on the situation of human rights in Armenia by Margaret Sekaggya, UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders in 2010.
Artur Sakunts also noted that there are serious concerns in the region regarding the criminal prosecution against human rights defender Intiqam Aliyev and his imprisonment in Azerbaijan as well as regarding ANC activist Tigran Arakelyan’s incarceration and criminal prosecutions carried out against the other ANC activists in Armenia currently.
According to him, the encroachments against human rights defense are patronized by the government authorities. By his words, a few encroachments were initiated against human rights defenders Lala Aslikyan and Arman Veziryan while Public Television conducts an obvious anti-propaganda against the activities carried out by the human rights defenders but stay unpunished. And the fact that Serzh Sargsyan refers to freedom of speech and the role and the essence of civil society in his speeches, stresses the significant difference between his words and actions.
A. Sakunts recalled the case of DIY club arson where the RPA and ARF representatives were expressing their evidently negative attitude by supporting the arson initiators. Or else, the criminal prosecution against Hayk Gevorgyan and later his imprisonment were also carried out during Serzh Sargsyan’s office term. While his assuring words that he highly values the role of civil society is merely pre-election campaign and it leaves no grounds to think that Serzh Sargsyan has a political will. According to Sakunts, there is a phenomenon of duplicity and deception here: Serzh Sargsyan’s words can be eloquent but when he utters “why did you come and spoil my fest, what for?” expression, this in fact shows his actual attitude towards the citizen.
“Or when he says that he isn’t to blame that people migrate from Armenia, he doesn’t comprehend that by and large the lack of relevant conditions of justice instigates people to leave while he takes no responsibility. It appears that the previously written speeches don’t correspond to his actual standpoints and in fact he is the carrier of violence culture”, the human rights defender expressed his opinion.