I Raised These Issues During My Meeting with Pashinyan: Suren Sahakyan

Member of the Executive Body of my party, Suren Sahakyan, wrote:

"Doesn’t anyone have a question about how it turns out that the pavilions are multiplying like mushrooms in the dark of night, especially in Ajapnyak? Perhaps a favorable environment has been created? In that case, what could be the characteristics of that environment? I only publish the information accessible to me.

In the 6/18 polling station, the incident I encountered was the only one during these elections when a candidate for parliamentary office was prohibited from entering the polling station during the vote counting due to the aggressive behavior of a certain officer of the CP party. This officer was so emboldened in his aggression that he began to believe he could throw anyone out of the polling station, insult them, and throw chairs at the tent without consequence.

Minutes after the incident, additional special police forces arrived at the polling station. However, interestingly enough, even before their arrival, there was already a group of about 20 aggressive individuals present, issuing threats against me. It was evident that this was an organized gang (which the Mayor of Yerevan, Hayk Marutyan, also spoke about the next day), reminiscent of the best traditions of the previous political system.

I managed to find out through a few calls at the police station that these were criminal elements under the influence of an individual known as “Kanевскoy,” effectively part of the internal hierarchy of the criminal syndicate. It turns out that the same shady elements are well organized, as just hours after the incident, they appeared near the party's office, confused my friend for me, and attempted to provoke conflict, which we managed to avoid upon our approach. Presumably, the same individuals set up illegal pavilions throughout the Ajapnyak administrative district on election night and, as claimed by the Mayor of Yerevan, are armed and fighting to establish this illegality.

So what do we have? Just three years after the revolutionary processes, I am confronted with people who are obstructing the electoral process, and I am forced to carry a legal weapon for self-defense from the revenge practices of criminal elements protected by the governing power. And most importantly, this is happening because criminal elements ensure the votes for the governing power in very specific areas. Welcome to the “New Armenia,” which looks disturbingly similar to the Old.

I would also like to inform that I was unable to instigate a criminal case against me for the polling station conflict because the woman who sustained minor injuries was exceptionally honest and incorruptible and stated that she had no complaints against me, as it was impossible for me to have deliberately harmed her, despite pressures; she refused to visit a forensic doctor. The case was initiated based on public protest over my supposed obstruction of the electoral process. Can you imagine who has violated the requirements of the law, whose rights have been infringed upon, and who is being called to account?

Let’s see. The most important point to register for the future is that impunity breeds new, greater crimes.

P.S. Anticipating questions, I would like to inform that I raised the issues regarding both the pavilions and the criminal elements representing the CP party during my meeting with the Acting Prime Minister. Time will show how they will be resolved."