MP: authorities won’t meddle with legal processes to save dialogue with ANC

 August 29, 2011 - 13:14 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - The Armenian authorities will not intervene in legal processes even for the sake of resuming dialogue with the Armenian National Congress (ANC), a member of the ruling Republican Party of Armenia said.

“What ANC demands now absolutely contradicts their previous claims and the reason why the Congress stepped back from participating in the political dialogue is beneath criticism,” MP Gagik Minasyan, told a press conference in Yerevan on August 29.

He denied that the authorities promised to change the preventive punishment for activist Tigran Arakelyan in order to continue talks.

At that, Minasyan expressed his respect to the working group of ANC members and said that the meetings proceeded in a friendly atmosphere despite sharp disparities.

Representatives of the ruling coalition have held meeting since July 18, the two main issues on the agenda being conduction of extraordinary election (on ANC demand) and development of canons of political competition (as suggested by the authorities).

Problems emerged when police detained 7 young ANC activists. According to the ANC, on August 9 police officers used violence against ANC activists Tigran Arakelyan and Artak Karapetyan. Upon arrival to the site, activists Areg Gevorgyan, Sahak Muradyan, Vahagn Gevorgyan, Sargis Gevorgyan and David Kirimajyan tried to settle the dispute but were beaten as well, the ANC said. All above-mentioned were taken to a police station.

Currently, Tigran Arakelyan is kept in custody. The others were released.

On August 26, the Congress announced that it suspends the dialogue and believes Arakelyan to be a political prisoner.