Who are the counter-revolutionaries? The Republicans or Kocharian? Vardan Harutyunyan

Public figure, human rights activist, and journalist Vardan Harutyunyan wrote on his Facebook page: “A lot is being said about counter-revolution. But who are the counter-revolutionaries? The Republicans or Kocharian? Probably. The counter-revolutionary nature of these people is natural. They would have preferred that this revolution had never happened and that it had failed. But are they strong enough today to halt our current course? I don’t believe they have such strength. The ground has long been taken from under their feet. Even during their time in power, they were out of time, and today, even more so. Yet they do not lose hope of success, because they know they have a serious ally in their work. That ally is within today’s government. The real counter-revolution is in today’s government, in the corridors of power, in the minds of the new rulers.

Our new civil servant should have been a birth and result of the revolution. He should be a new person. When we talk about a new Armenia, we mean not a renovated, brightly painted slogan country, but first and foremost, civil servants equipped with new thinking—from the Prime Minister to the cooperative employee and the tax inspector. This is the new Armenia, and this is the revolution. Instead, with a few joyful exceptions, we have a solid army of civil servants that do not fit within the logic of the revolution, and they hinder, obstruct, and fail it.

Look: there is no fight against illegal enrichment. There is no glaring desire or promise to start such a fight. Transitional justice is already a past stage. It feels (God forbid I’m wrong) that the highest offices have decided that what has happened is past, and there is no need to address the past.

We have inherited thoroughly decayed paths that in many cases are no longer subject to restoration. For years, people, well-known individuals—members of parliament and ministers—have become super-rich by embezzling funds allocated for road construction, road repairs, the North-South highway, and other construction projects. We have not heard that they have gone and knocked on these doors or will be going to knock on them. And we are crushing our cars on those roads.

The State Revenue Committee, the NSS, the system of Internal Affairs, the Prosecutor's Office, judges—all of them are in their places, satisfied and happy. Yesterday, if they needed to detain someone, they did; if they needed to fabricate a case, they did. Today, if it’s not necessary, they don’t do it; tomorrow, if it’s necessary, they will.

In the PWC system, it has now become clear that those who were first required accountability and should have been kept kilometers away from the government building have settled in. But it is exactly such people who become leaders. The question arises, on what principle are civil servants chosen and are being chosen in crucial sectors? Why are they being selected?

The counter-revolution feeds off our missteps, the absence of our steps, or our half-steps. And we—the naive ones—are looking for counter-revolutionaries in the Republican office.”