The Ball is Now in the Hands of the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor's Office: Edmon Marukyan

The ball is now in the hands of the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor's Office. I hope that the law enforcement agencies will finally give an adequate legal assessment of what has happened. This was stated today, May 12, by Edmon Marukyan, the leader of the 'Bright Armenia' faction on his Facebook page.

He specifically wrote: 'Dear compatriots, I believe it is necessary to address the events of the last few days one last time and clarify our position. It is evident that there has been violence against the 'Bright Armenia' faction by the ruling team in the National Assembly, which not only has not been condemned but has also been justified and legitimized through criminal indifference and manipulative tactics. It is a well-known principle that the justification of violence begets more cases of violence and leads to the widespread dissemination of a malignant phenomenon. In this same vein, the failure to condemn and the justification of the violence exercised by the members of the 'My Step' alliance on May 8 led to a sense of impunity, which in turn caused MP Sasun Mikayelyan to once again resort to threats and the rhetoric of retribution.

Moreover, we were threatened with retribution by veterans of the Yerkrapah Volunteer Union, as well as an unreasonable ultimatum regarding the resignation of our mandate. Why should an opposition figure resign their mandate if they are the victims of violence themselves? The ruling team, through its intolerance and its complete disregard for democratic principles, is attempting to restrict the activity of the opposition, free speech, and dissent.

I believe that all these incidents should receive not only a political assessment but also the attention of law enforcement agencies—the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor's Office. Dear compatriots, alongside all this, it is also clear that we are not infallible and sometimes react too emotionally to various events. But isn’t it obvious that the ruling team has set a clear goal of dismantling the parliamentary opposition? They want to neutralize their main critics and remain unchecked. Every day, they smear our reputation by labeling us and associating us with some 'dark and conspiratorial' forces without any serious basis.

They are trying to intimidate and scare us with various despicable methods. It should be noted that similar treatment of the opposition was also characteristic of previous administrations. Dear friends, regardless of everything and all circumstances, Bright Armenia will continue its opposition activities while adhering to its bright values and traditions. We are ready to confront any challenge and go to the end for our ideas. The ruling team must apologize for the attack and guarantee, with an appropriate political assessment, that free speech and dissent will no longer be suppressed in the parliament or anywhere else. Without the reinforcement of these fundamental values, the democratic future of Armenia is at risk.

Thank you to all supporters and to all those who justified violence day and night. I regret if I have erred at any moment, but my mistakes can have insignificant consequences for the future of Armenia, whereas the execution and legitimization of violence by the authorities is a destructive swamp that will undermine the foundations of our state. With this, we will await actions from the authorities in light of the aforementioned demands, and the ball is now in the hands of the Investigative Committee and the Prosecutor's Office. I hope that law enforcement agencies will finally intervene adequately to provide a legal assessment of the events.'