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“Via his yesterday’s actions, Shant Harutyunyan showed the whole seriousness of Armenia’s current situation”, thinks Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor human rights activist Artur Sakunts pointing out that the authorities once again used the provokers during yesterday’s events on Mashtots Avenue.

“Shant said we were not going to obey. Currently, we have such a situation in Armenia that every citizen is a potential Shant. As time goes by, those Shants may be displayed and the struggle against those Shants via illegal methods is not in line with today’s situation created by the authorities”, Artur Sakunts told Lragir.am.

Addressing the statement of the Police that violence was applied against the police officers during the clashes, Sakunts inquires, “Why should a police officer appear there? Certainly Shant was not intending to exert violence against any of peaceful civilian? He had clearly mentioned Baghramyan 26, as a symbol of government, the one which is illegal and unlawful. How should we make it work legally?”

By the words of the human rights activist, in order to assess yesterday’s events, one first of all needs considering the grounds for Shant’s protest action. “He clearly states that everything is conditioned by Armenia’s current regime, which degrades human dignity, restricts their freedoms, and as a citizen he cannot live in such degrading conditions. I think while assessing the actions, one should by all means take into account the fact that in an illegal state, where the equality before the law, the principle of rule of law and all constitutional norms are being violated, the application of the law in relation to a citizen in such conditions on the grounds of unlawful actions is quiddity and false”, stressed Sakunts.

He recalls that Shant Harutyunyan has always partaken in the struggle and he was among the March 1, 2008 arrestees.  And now singling out yesterday’s events from the whole context and assessing the lawfulness or compliance of his actions with the law, is ridiculous and unlawful.

“The law-enforcers have already breached the law and they have no grounds to apply the law in relation to Shant Harutyunyan”, he highlighted.

Sakunts reminds that the authorities rule via violence, legitimize the violence through their decisions, while, people have no legal mechanisms to fight against those decisions, and when they express their protests in such a manner, the latter find it illegal. He sees no other way but rioting against that illegality.

“Singling out the episode with the truncheons, explosives, and violation of public order or violence against the Police officers and whereby restricting  the assessment over actions without considering the situation, where those actions were initiated, means faking the truth and failing to approach the issue comprehensively and objectively. It means continuing the practice when people’s legal appeal, which is in line with the illegalities of the authorities, is condemned. This means devastating people’s hope to live in their country, depriving of their right to riot against unlawfulness”, pointed Artur Sakunts.

Source: http://www.lragir.am/index/arm/0/country/view/90492#sthash.DCdoCwAe.dpuf