“Zhamanak” reacts to Thursday’s deadly shooting in Yerevan which left one man dead and another wounded, calling it a result of an “atmosphere of impunity” in Armenia. “Attempts to solve issues through weapons and violent manifestations of revenge have become commonplace,” writes the paper. “And armed clashes between various crime figures go unimpeded in Armenia’s cities and even in the center of the capital.” It claims that “the same criminal elements work for the authorities during elections and get privileges in return.”
According to “Haykakan Zhamanak,” the shooting carried out in broad daylight in downtown Yerevan caused outrage among many people. “Many such cases have been reported in various Armenian cities and towns in the last three months,” says the paper. “They are the result of wars and vendettas among various criminal groups. They are not isolated cases. The public is demanding answers from the Armenian police about the unprecedentedly tense situation with crime in the country.” It claims that perpetrators and even victims of these shootings are connected with the authorities, having “served” them during elections.
“It’s not clear what the police are up to,” writes “Hraparak.” “If individuals with illegally owned weapons and criminal intentions for years shoot at each other, claiming lives and creating dangers for the public, one cannot but wonder what security services are up to … They are busy making money and persecuting people critical of the government.”
“Chorrord Ishkhanutyun” quotes Galust Sahakian, a deputy chairman of the ruling HHK, as saying that people who have left Armenia during President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule are themselves responsible for their emigration because they “do not appreciate our independence.” “And we thought that people emigrate for socioeconomic reasons,” the paper comments tartly. But, it says, Armenians can be faulted for “tolerating such authorities.”
(Tigran Avetisian)
Facebook Forum