Armenia’s Justice Minister Says He’s Not Pashinyan’s Postman

A journalist with local daily Hraparak spoke with RA Minister of Justice Hrayr Tovmasyan at the National Assembly yesterday on the matter of Haykakan Jamanak (“Armenian Times”) chief editor, imprisoned opposition journalist Nikol Pashinyan’s correspondence.

Mr. Tovmasyan, basically, the pen and paper were snatched from Pashinyan too. What are you preparing to do about this?

I don’t know, what have they snatched. He doesn’t write. He says, I write, it doesn’t get anywhere [i.e. his letters are not received], now you say that the paper and pen was snatched.

Now it’s being said that the pen and paper were also snatched.

They snatched that too? I don’t know, I’m not informed at this time. I’ve been here [in parliament] since this morning.

But this matter has already been written about, Mr. Tovmasyan, don’t you want to work on this issue?

It’s not about whether I want to or not; it’s my obligation to work on it.

But basically you’re not.

I am, I am.

How are you working on [the issue] when this person basically cannot carry out his rights?

I’m not responding [to the question]. My head is somewhere else right now. At this time I’m not informed; I cannot respond to your question.

But it’s already been a long time that this has been spoken of, that his writing doesn’t reach its destination and so on.

Who says they don’t reach [their destination]? Come to my office, I’ll show you all the letters, which have reached [their destination] with his signature. What does it mean? I don’t understand.

Also, the letters arrive late.

I’m not a postal worker and I’m not Nikol Pashinyan’s postman, for me to see in each case which arrived, which didn’t.

Anyway, don’t you think that the editor’s requirement must be satisfied, for him to have the chance to send letters from prison?

That’s his right. That right has to be implemented. My opinion here has no significance. Forgive me, but I won’t respond [to your questions] anymore.

Why isn’t Nikol Pashinyan’s right being carried out, that’s what I’m asking.

Who says it’s not being carried out? Go, read the papers: he writes every day.

It’s in the papers where he writes that the letters don’t reach their destination and his right is not being carried out.

In that case, he’s a politician. Are you sure that he writes, have you been in the prison? That is, what they write in the papers, are you sure that it’s true? They write in those papers that I take bribes, is that so?

I haven’t read that, to tell the truth.

Well go and read that I’m a scoundrel, I’m dishonest — they write such things. If you believe it’s like that, if you’re like that, then I don’t have anything else to say to you.