Pashinian Sentenced to Seven Years in Prison

Today Nikol Pashinian, editor of the daily newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak and the firebrand spokesman for the opposition movement in Armenia, who went underground after the turbulent events of March 1, 2008 but came out of hiding last summer, was sentenced today to seven years in prison for his role in “organizing mass riots.”

The decision to prosecute Pashinian instead of letting him off under general amnesty (had he been sentenced to five years in prison) was regarded as being politically motivated, and it certainly will be so by the international community in the coming days.

People have told me that the authorities are afraid of Pashinian and his ability to mobilize the masses to stand up for what they believe in–namely installing a democratically elected Armenian leadership. This sentencing proves that I think.

RFE/RL reports the following:

The ruling, strongly condemned by the main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK), disqualified Pashinian from a general amnesty declared by the Armenian authorities in June. The amnesty led to the release of dozens of other opposition members arrested following the deadly clashes between security forces and opposition protesters demanding a re-run of the February 2008 presidential election.

A Yerevan court found Pashinian guilty of organizing the “mass riots” but cleared him of assaulting a police officer during another opposition demonstration staged in October 2007.

State prosecutors demanded last month prison sentences of six and two years respectively for these alleged crimes. The court ruling means that the outspoken editor of the “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily received an even tougher punishment for the riot charge.

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The HAK swiftly denounced the ruling as illegal and politically motivated and said Armenia’s current leaders will eventually be held accountable for it. “Judges, investigators and prosecutors must realize that they too will not be forgiven because they are butchers executing orders,” said Levon Zurabian, a leader of the opposition alliance. “We know that Serzh Sarkisian personally decided this verdict.”

“The court carried out an explicit order,” charged Stepan Demirchian, another HAK leader. “That is, they want to keep Nikol Pashinian in prison at any cost.”

The opposition leaders spoke to RFE/RL outside the court building where about a hundred opposition supporters gathered in a show of solidarity with Pashinian. They greeted the verdict with “Shame!” and “Serzhik murderer!” chants. They traded insults and briefly scuffled with riot police guarding the court building.

I was in the vicinity where the demonstrations were held on March 1 adjacent to Yerevan City Hall, arriving around 2:30 pm, shortly after the afternoon clash with police had ended. Pashinian, Aram Sargsyan, Stepan Demirchian and others appeared afterward to address the crowd but separately, closer to 3:00 pm if I am not mistaken. I personally witnessed Pashinian being carried on the shoulders of two guys towards the Miasnikyan statue where people had assembled. None of the leaders there, needless to say, advocated violence during the mass protest. I should also add that people collected in that square (now called Russia Square) via word of mouth after what had happened that morning at Liberty Square where hundreds of peaceful sit-in protesters were uprooted before dawn by force. No opposition leader told people to assemble at Miasnikyan Square, the people just went there on their own. It’s safe to say that Pashinian had nothing to do with the violence that unfolded that evening. He didn’t lead a cry for battle there, he only advocated that people hold their ground peacefully to demand change, that was all.

Indeed, shame on the Armenian judicial system and the Armenian authorities for this hasty, unwarranted sentencing. Pashinian is just a spokesman for citizens who are against a system of governance that they believe to be undemocratic, unjust and corrupt in Armenia. He’s only a threat to the country’s leaders who think that he could possibly organize another movement to topple their command. And he’s just a newspaper editor!

Today’s ruling is the end of another sad chapter in the lack of democracy and justice of the Armenian republic. And I think more than ever, people are either too scared or apathetic to do anything about it.