PACE Monitoring Committee member and reporter on Armenia Yerzi Yaskernia, who is now in Armenia, met Monday with Armenian National Assembly Vice-Speaker Tigran Torosyan and the head of the parliamentary standing commission on foreign affairs Armen Rustamyan.{BR} Torosyan said Armenian authorities had accomplished a great deal in complying with the PACE demands listed in its latest resolutions. He...

Supreme Council MPs’ club issued a statement Monday pointing out those high-ranking state officials, who had dodged military service in a clear breach of the law.{BR} The club appealed to court demanding to announce Armenian president’s five orders on appointing culture minister Hovik Hoveyan, justice minister David Harutyunyan, foreign minister Vardan Oskanyan, defense minister Serge...

The court has already completed the session. Two students charged with defying law enforcement officers’ order and insulting them were fined 1,000 and 1,500 drams.

Students Harutyun Alaverdyan’s and Hakob Hakobyan’s trial started Monday at the Center, Nork-Marash first instance court. They are charged with insulting policemen.{BR} Prosecutor Aram Mkrtchyan says these two young men were fastening leaflets demanding to release Edgar Arakelyan, who has been arrested for striking a policeman with empty plastic bottle during the police’s notorious...

Chair of Nor Zhamanakner party Aram Karapetyan’s suit against the National Unity party leader Artashes Geghamyan was to be heard in court on Monday.{BR} Aram Karapetyan has taken legal action against Geghamyan because of insulting remarks made toward him through the press. The hearing was postponed till June 4 on the plaintiff’s request.

Today is the Independence Day of the first republic. Every year people spend May 28 in Sardarapat or in Bash-Aparan Monument. {BR} ”Justice” Bloc headed by “Republic” Party leader Aram Sargssyan was in Aparan. Aparan population and people from Yerevan met with Opposition representatives in the central square. Shirak District Prosecutor Hamlet Hovsepyan, well-known businessman...

May 28 is probably more valuable than September 21 just because the First Republic is the history and the Third one is the reality. {BR} Any citizen of Armenia is well-aware of what reality he or she has. The point is that we have a state without statehood since September 21. For that sense USSR hasn’t yet collapsed for our country, since no leader of an independent state will think to announce...

Amnesty International organization has issued its annual report. The organization placed it on record that hundreds of the opposition supporters had bee arrested during both presidential and parliamentary elections in Armenia. Facts of stealing ballot box and committing violence against international observers were mentioned in the report as well.{BR} Some 100 people were tried and convicted behind...

On Thursday, Leader of Union for National Self-determination Paruyr Hayrikyan, speaking at 24th conference criticized Armenia’s current authorities saying international organizations had repeatedly pointed their fingers at human rights violations in the republic. Council of Europe has warned called it could call into question Armenia’s CE membership, Hayrikyan reminded.{BR} He said the...

Former head of parliamentary standing commission on foreign affairs and now Liberal-Progressive Party leader Hovhannes Hovhannisyan said Thursday he was unhappy about foreign policy pursued by Armenian leadership.{BR} Hovhannisyan, who was engaged in foreign policy for four years, voiced alarm at Armenia’s future saying the current authorities’ short-sighted foreign policy put Armenia’s...

Armenian National Assembly’s members spoke Thursday on international institutions’ assessment of Armenian processes, often not so pleasant.{BR} People MP parliamentary group’s member Vahram Baghdasaryan shares Freedom House organization’s opinion, according to which Armenia is an authoritarian state. In his words, little progress is seen in the republic. To speed up the progress...

This is the second year the UN-set International Day of the UN Peacekeepers has been marked in Armenia. Photo exhibitions titled Peace and Security and Struggle against Terrorism were opened Thursday in Yerevan.{BR} The UN Yerevan office’s representative Valeri Tkachuk emphasized the role of peacekeepers saying they carry out very important mission. UN Peacekeeping Forces and Struggle against...

Only in 10 years Armenian will be reckoned among middle-level countries, more than a half of 50 experts having participated in My View on Future survey conducted by Armeian Center for National and International Studies think.{BR} 46% of respondents think Armenia will be weak country, and only 4% are convinced Armenia will turn into mighty state. The Center has conducted also another expert-opinion...

On Thursday, Christian-Democratic Union leader Khosrov Harutyunyan, speaking at a The First Republic Lessons discussion held in National Press Club said, in his opinion, either in 1918 or in 1990 Armenian people had psychologically been unready for independence.{BR} Had people trusted their leaders they would be ready for independence, Harutyunyan said. In his words, lack of confidence is visible...

Aramazd Zaqaryan, member of ”Republic” Party political board, was just released. But he says he won’t stop fighting for restoration of the constitutional order in Armenia. {BR} Zaqaryan intends to fight in the legal field, too, for illegalities he suffered. He is going to appeal to Court for his arrest and unlawful imprisonment for more than a month. The issue to reconsider the...

”New Times” Party Chair Aram Karapetyan doesn’t blame Opposition for not participating in the dialogue. {BR}“There is a Coalition is the country, which is responsible for the economy. There is a President who is responsible for force structures. There is a Defense Minister who is responsible for everything”, he says. Following activity of Armenian Authorities, Aram Karapetyan...

”New Times” Party has today held a youth meeting. The ways to save Armenia from the destructive future were represented. {BR} In fact , the suggestions party has made today were addressed to Robert Kocharyan. According to Party Chair Aram Karapetyan, he must conduct reforms in Armenia. Mr. Karapetyan expresses discontent that while dealing with Authorities many of pro-governmental political...

While rumors spread that Lieutenant-General Vagharshak Harutyunyan will be released, General Office of Prosecutor rejected the appeal of his Advocate Robert Grigoryan. In the appeal Advocate suggested either to reason the accusation of his client or to stop it. {BR} Office of Prosecutor neither based nor suppressed the case. Advocate informed he was going to demand for substantiation of the decision. Probably,...

6 social organizations and “Republic” Party partook in the picket near General Office of Prosecutor supporting Vagharshak Harutyunyan today. {BR} According to Eleonora Manandyan, picket organizer and Chair of “New Armenia” social organization, members of People’s Party of Armenia take part in the picket from time to time, too. Miss Manandyan couldn’t say whether...

Aramazd Zaqaryan, member of “Republic” Party political board and Jora Sapeyan, head of Talin branch of “Republic” Party were released from “Yerevan-Center” cell last evening. {BR} The decision on their release says the case was suppressed for lack of corpus delicti, a decision was made to stop the criminal pursuit and set them free. They had been arrested for...

Azatutyun radio station reports Freedom House New-York-based organization after conducting certain researches issued a list of authoritarian countries and countries with dictatorship.{BR} Armenia was placed among authoritarian states. Azerbaijan was among the countries ruled by dictators. Georgia is included in the democratic states’ list.

Samvel Balasanyan, MP from Orinats Erkir, the ruling coalition member party, presented Tuesday his party’s statement at traditional parliamentary hour of announcements.{BR} The party blamed its opponents for failing the dialogue and reiterated the invitation. The opposition MP Victor Dallakyan answered to the invitation by reminding that their fellow partisans are still behind bars.

Tall policeman on the photo is Edgar’s victim. Accused Edgar Arakelyan said at today’s trial he was beaten and cursed with foul language by policemen Tarverdyan and Mirzoyan while being kept in pretrial detention. The policemen were trying to extract testimony from him against the opposition leaders Stepan Demirchyan and Artashes Geghamyan. They wanted Edgar to say that Demirchyan and...

Trial of Armenia’s Lusakert town resident Edgar Arakelyan, 24, started Tuesday at Center Nork-Marash first instance court in Yerevan. He is charged with participating in unauthorized rally on April 12 and beating a policeman with empty plastic bottle.{BR} The accused says he threw the bottle after being punched in his mouth and losing teeth. He acted such a way only to defend himself from the...