(Saturday, April 12)
“168 Zham” writes that the promise made by Armenia’s new President Serzh Sarkisian in his inauguration speech to be the president also for the citizens who did not vote for him had raised hopes that immediately after being sworn in as the new head of state he would hurry to the Myasnikian monument, one of the main scenes of the March 1 bloodshed, to pay tribute to the memory of the eight citizens who died that night, “citizens for whom he could not be a president but in whose deaths he admitted his share of responsibility.”
“…Thereby,” the paper continues, “Sarkisian would have removed at least one stone from the ‘wall of misunderstanding’… But he chose to visit Yerablur to lay wreaths to the graves of military commanders Andranik Ozanian and Vazgen Sarkisian, something that did not require much courage.”
Lawyer Vartan Harutiunian tells “Aravot” that any honest man can be clapped into prison today and it would be no surprise to anyone.
“It is terrible but in independent Armenia that has declared itself to be a democratic state, like in the most brutal totalitarian regimes, the most decent place for the most decent man is prison. Any honest man with an opinion may appear in jail and it will no longer surprise anyone.”
“Hayots Ashkhar” writes about recent pro-opposition protests of Diaspora Armenians in Europe and the United States: “It is obvious that the traditional Diaspora will never become a participant in these radical “shows” or “anti-Armenian actions” staged in the heart of Europe or across the ocean. No matter how absurd and illogical it may sound, but it is obvious that today those who go into the streets in Los Angels or elsewhere in support of [opposition leader] Levon Ter-Petrosian fled their homeland in the early 1990s, in the first several years of Ter-Petrosian’s presidency.”
“Hayk” sees it as a problem that when saying ‘dialogue’ and ‘cooperation’, representatives of the ‘dictatorship’ imply ‘a division of posts’.
“They sometimes frankly acknowledge that they don’t have any idea what they can discuss with Levon Ter-Petrosian. ‘He won’t agree to a ministerial post?’ they say. So, in the first place they need ‘political lessons’ to understand what ‘political dialogue’ is all about and then release political prisoners, show a fearless approach to mass public rallies and marches and stop violence, after which it will be possible to start a constructive dialogue and discuss how to lift the country up from the depth of the abyss.”
“Zhamanak Yerevan” asks a question: “How can a citizen punish the state when the latter brazenly lies and constantly commits blunders?” And gives an answer itself: “Citizens go down to the square, fill the streets, close their eyes, open their mouths and demand that the authorities stop lying, redress their mistakes and put up with the thought of having to resign from power and transfer it in a peaceful manner to the one elected by the people, obey the rules of democracy and finally admit the reality and leave.”
(Armen Dulian)
“168 Zham” writes that the promise made by Armenia’s new President Serzh Sarkisian in his inauguration speech to be the president also for the citizens who did not vote for him had raised hopes that immediately after being sworn in as the new head of state he would hurry to the Myasnikian monument, one of the main scenes of the March 1 bloodshed, to pay tribute to the memory of the eight citizens who died that night, “citizens for whom he could not be a president but in whose deaths he admitted his share of responsibility.”
“…Thereby,” the paper continues, “Sarkisian would have removed at least one stone from the ‘wall of misunderstanding’… But he chose to visit Yerablur to lay wreaths to the graves of military commanders Andranik Ozanian and Vazgen Sarkisian, something that did not require much courage.”
Lawyer Vartan Harutiunian tells “Aravot” that any honest man can be clapped into prison today and it would be no surprise to anyone.
“It is terrible but in independent Armenia that has declared itself to be a democratic state, like in the most brutal totalitarian regimes, the most decent place for the most decent man is prison. Any honest man with an opinion may appear in jail and it will no longer surprise anyone.”
“Hayots Ashkhar” writes about recent pro-opposition protests of Diaspora Armenians in Europe and the United States: “It is obvious that the traditional Diaspora will never become a participant in these radical “shows” or “anti-Armenian actions” staged in the heart of Europe or across the ocean. No matter how absurd and illogical it may sound, but it is obvious that today those who go into the streets in Los Angels or elsewhere in support of [opposition leader] Levon Ter-Petrosian fled their homeland in the early 1990s, in the first several years of Ter-Petrosian’s presidency.”
“Hayk” sees it as a problem that when saying ‘dialogue’ and ‘cooperation’, representatives of the ‘dictatorship’ imply ‘a division of posts’.
“They sometimes frankly acknowledge that they don’t have any idea what they can discuss with Levon Ter-Petrosian. ‘He won’t agree to a ministerial post?’ they say. So, in the first place they need ‘political lessons’ to understand what ‘political dialogue’ is all about and then release political prisoners, show a fearless approach to mass public rallies and marches and stop violence, after which it will be possible to start a constructive dialogue and discuss how to lift the country up from the depth of the abyss.”
“Zhamanak Yerevan” asks a question: “How can a citizen punish the state when the latter brazenly lies and constantly commits blunders?” And gives an answer itself: “Citizens go down to the square, fill the streets, close their eyes, open their mouths and demand that the authorities stop lying, redress their mistakes and put up with the thought of having to resign from power and transfer it in a peaceful manner to the one elected by the people, obey the rules of democracy and finally admit the reality and leave.”
(Armen Dulian)