Armenian second President Robert Kocharyan’s son Levon Kocharyan’s letter to Serj Tankian

On the day of the snap elections to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, world famous Armenian musician Serj Tankian today posted the following statement on his Facebook page at midday:

“Very proud of my brothers and sisters in Armenia who will be going to the polls to vote for a new parliament after having freed themselves of a corrosive, unjust, corrupt regime earlier this year. It annoys me to read quotes from relics like Armen Ashotyan, from the RPA, complaining about not having enough time to ready themselves for the election after plundering the country for 20 years. I’m happy to hear that former President Robert Kocharian is back in jail. The people of Armenia want and deserve justice for past injustices and should be holding all those responsible accountable. Presidents who become billionaires while in office by using their office for personal gain are not patriotic, they are corrupt. Armenia’s revolution and new path is a prime example of how a country can transition peacefully to a progressive egalitarian society. There is much work to be done, especially economically, but the important thing is that people are awake and empowered”.

A short while ago, Levon Kocharyan, son of second President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan, posted the following letter on his Facebook in response to Tankian:

“Serj,

Today I found out how happy you were to hear that my father is in jail.

I have always appreciated your band’s efforts mainly because you also fought for genocide recognition and demanded justice. My father also fought for that, and as a matter of fact, nearly 15 countries recognized the Armenian Genocide during my father’s term in office, and this is the greatest number of countries.

You present yourself as a person who supports a country where there is rule of law, yet you contradict yourself when you fail to condemn the authorities’ overt repression and threats against courts.

We have dined and touched upon various issues, including political issues on several occasions. I think you could be more frank if, instead of your phony kindness and cordial attitude, you asked me about the “billions” that you are so concerned about and other low-quality rumors, most of which, in fact, have been made up, ‘blossomed’ and spread by the authorities in which you trust unconditionally.

Succeeding in the music industry is a good thing, but when you talk about the President of 2 countries having won a war, the President who was the key role-player for the liberation of the homeland, international recognition of the Armenian Genocide and Armenia’s economic uplift, I would recommend that you think a little and then speak, especially when you speak about patriotism.

Of course, time will show the reality, and I hope you will have something to say then,” Levon Kocharyan wrote.

Let us remind that the Court of Appeals of the Republic of Armenia announced its decision and chose detention as a measure of restraint against second President of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan ahead of the early elections to the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. The attorneys of second President of the RA Robert Kocharyan gave a press conference during which Victor Soghomonyan, Head of the Office of Robert Kocharyan, read the statement of the first President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, second President of the RA Robert Kocharyan, which reads as follows:

“Dear compatriots,

As you know, today the Court of Appeal of the Republic of Armenia announced a verdict based on which I will be detained once again. It is clear that this verdict is first and foremost the result of a political decision that was taken under the brutal repressions of the authorities. It is enough to mention the fact that there were only 6 prosecutors, led by the Prosecutor General of the RA (which is unprecedented in the modern history of the Republic of Armenia), the judge examining the case was elected with crude violations of the law and the relevant procedures, and the pro-government presses had already announced the decision without waiting for the court.

My team and I have declared several times that what is happening is nothing more than personal revenge, a real vendetta against me and my family, and evidence of this are the audio recordings of the infamous wiretaps. My past, the outcomes I have achieved during my term in office, my reputation in Armenia, Artsakh and abroad, as well as my political prospects are constantly disturbing the current populist head of state who is incapable of governing the country. In addition, it is clear that the main organizer of the mass disturbances having caused the human casualties on 1 March 2008 is trying to show that he is not guilty of those casualties and is accusing me.

I am certain that I will achieve freedom sooner or later. I am certain that I will prove my innocence. I am also certain that the authors and perpetrators of this illegitimate and obscene persecution against a person having governed the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and the Republic of Armenia during the most difficult times in our modern history will be punished under the law, and this will happen in the near future.

I am fully willing to continue my political struggle in jail as well. The authorities and their patrons should not cherish idle hopes that they can break my will. I am used to heavy trials and tribulations, and I view this as another trial. It is another episode in my life in which I am compelled to struggle for freedom and dignity”.

The attorneys also declared that they were going to apply to the European Court of Human Rights, and as a matter of fact, alongside appealing to the Court of Cassation because they don’t view the Court of Cassation as an effective court instance. They view the happening as the vendetta of acting Prime Minister of the RA Nikol Pashinyan against Robert Kocharyan.

By the way, Robert Kocharyan didn’t wait for the court to send the decision to the investigator and decided to independently go to the Yerevan-Kentron Penitentiary Institution located in the building of the National Security Service.

After Robert Kocharyan was detained, the Republican Party of Armenia also issued a statement, which read as follows:

“As expected, the Court of Appeal chose detention as a measure of restraint against second President of the Republic of Armenia and first President of Artsakh Robert Kocharyan. To say that this decision has nothing to do with legitimacy means to say nothing. To say that this decision is a specific political order means to say nothing. To say that this is Nikol Pashinyan’s personal revenge means to say nothing.

It is obvious that the government and N. Pashinyan personally organized this detention in the pre-election period in order to strengthen the atmosphere of fear in the country, as well as to demonstrate strength and intensify pressure on political opponents.

It should be stated that Nikol Pashinyan continues to breach all the possible constitutional norms and intervene with the activities of the judiciary with threats and through other methods. It is also clear that the judiciary, with all of its instances, has become the attaché of the government and is fulfilling the order of the political authorities.

The most dangerous thing that these authorities are applying is the selection of detention as a way of getting testimony. On different occasions, several government officials have talked about the fact that detention should be applied as a measure of restraint in special cases, but as in many other cases, these are merely words. As a result, detention is not serving its constitutional goal and has become a tool for blackmail and for getting testimony. Evidence of this is Nikol Pashinyan’s publicly expressed position, as well as the content of the well-known wiretaps into the conversations between the heads of the National Security Service and the Special Investigation Service.

In this regard, we call the attention of all international organizations, as well as international observers and international human rights organizations since, in the current political situation, there is no sense in calling the attention of the competent and relevant bodies of our country.”

Let us remind that, in response to Tankian’s orientating and accusatory statement, Vice-Chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA), candidate for deputy and campaign officer of the RPA Armen Ashotyan posted today the following statement on his Facebook page:

“I regret to see that Serj Tankian, who keeps the reputation of our country at a high level in terms of culture, is making irresponsible statements. Serj Tankian has touched upon the snap parliamentary elections taking place in the Republic of Armenia today, but for some reason, he has decided to interpret my words in his emotional Facebook status.

Serj, no matter how famous and beloved you are and no matter how high you maintain the reputation of our country, you must be able to be held accountable for your statements by law. When you state that “it annoys you to read quotes from relics like Armen Ashotyan, from the RPA, complaining about not having enough time to ready themselves for the election after plundering the country for 20 years”, you are unintentionally or thoughtfully reporting about a crime and nominally charging me with a crime that, we hope, the Police of the Republic of Armenia will respond to; otherwise, it will finally be stated that justice in our country is truly selective.

I hope any one of the power structures of the Republic of Armenia summons you to prove and substantiate your statements. It is time for everyone to be held accountable for what they say and do, EVERYONE. As far as my statement on the small amount of time for campaigning is concerned, I must say that I reaffirm my statement. Yes, 12 days is not enough, but I have to disappoint you and the people who share your views — even during these 12 days, we managed to show everyone what there is and explain to them that our team has potential and tell them what we can do. Have a good day, dear Serj! I hope that, besides posting statements, you have the opportunity to make your actual contribution to have a powerful and developed Armenia…For instance, I hope you finally purchase a house that you have been promising to purchase for such a long time now and I hope you return to the homeland,” Ashotyan declared.

ARMINE VARDANYAN