Epress.am News from Armenia
“The opposition, full of patience, every day presents a claim to Yerevan City Hall to hold a rally in Freedom Square, prepares the folder [of evidence], which finally will play its role,” said Armenian National Congress (HAK) coordinator Levon Zurabyan.
“When the day comes when our cup of patience is full, and that day is not that far, and it will become clear that the authorities are doing everything for our rally not to occur in Freedom Square, that day we will designate a rally and regardless of the decision by state bodies, we will gather at Freedom Square,” said Zurabyan.
He also noted that the Council of Europe will be holding a Forum for the Future of Democracy from Oct. 19–21 in Yerevan.
“We believe that that’s a very convenient opportunity to express all of our disappointments to the European democratic public; thus, we had decided to organize numerous events on Oct. 19: a rally, march and interesting details which we will announce during the Oct. 15 rally,” he said.
Zurabyan also said that the march set to take place after the rally on Oct. 15 is authorized, though that has no significance for them.
He also commented on Armenian Human Rights Defender Armen Harutyunyan’s statement that Yerevan City Hall’s denying requests to hold a rally in Freedom Square does not constitute any legal or political violations. Furthermore, the Ombudsman noted that if the opposition was directed to hold its rally in the Yerevan district of Malatia-Sebastia or Shengavit (both considered quite far from the city center), it could be considered that that is a violation of their rights.
“I thought that he, at least, was a good lawyer; it turns out, he isn’t even that, or he hasn’t studied the law [very] well,” Zurabyan said, advising Harutyunyan to read the law carefully and to do so with a “fresh brain.”
“The Ombudsman serves the ruling authorities. Either he has to accept that the authorities are criminals or do what he does,” he said.