Epress.am News from Armenia
Tigran Khachatryan, who died during mass riots following a contested presidential election on Mar. 1, 2008, would’ve been 27 years old today. At 3 pm today, Khachatryan’s family and friends, along with members of the opposition bloc the Armenian National Congress, will visit his grave and pay their respects.
Speaking to Epress.am, Tigran Khacharyan’s mother, Alla Hovhannisyan, touched upon the recent visit to Armenia of John Prescott (pictured), one of two co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of Armenia, saying “though she’s emotional, she’ll say a few things about Prescott.”
“After this, if Prescott comes to Armenia, we won’t ask for a meeting; rather, we’ll organize a protest outside the PACE building, so not to allow the Prescotts [of the world] to come to Armenia. And even if he asks for a meeting, we won’t meet with him. He meets with us on his feet then goes and says something different on television. We have no expectations from Prescott,” she said, adding that the PACE official does nothing to move the investigation into the deaths forward.
The grieving mother also mentioned that if Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe, then “our nation cannot be mocked so, since we’re not slaves.” Hovhannisyan added that Prescott’s visit are merely a formality.
According to her, the parents of the Mar. 1 victims know that Prescott’s term will soon be up, but if he comes to Armenia again, they will definitely organize a protest. Hovhannisyan noted that this is her personal opinion, but assured Epress.am that the other parents agree with her.