“Last time amnesty was granted in 2006. If during these three years the society feels the necessity of a new amnesty then I am ready to practice my constitutional power. Therefore, I encourage the political forces, public council to submit to the President’s administration their recommendations and opinions about the amnesty and if as a result it is revealed that the society feels such a necessity I will immediately benefit from my right and apply to the National Assembly to adopt a law on that,” on May 28 in Sardarapat stated the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan. So how do various political forces comment this statement of the president?
When speaking to us the deputy-chairman of the National Assembly and RPA member Samvel Nikoyan said that in his opinion the idea of amnesty had really ripened within the society.
“Many people are expecting that and I don’t only mean the people sentenced based on the March 1 events.
As a deputy-chairman of the NA I welcome this statement of the president. I think the NA ad hoc on the investigation of March 1 events, will also express its opinion about the statement of the president,” mentioned Nikoyan.
Yesterday an MP of the Heritage faction Styopa Safaryan mentioned that he got disappointed after hearing the statement of the president. “I wasn’t expecting to hear complaisance from the president. Instead just like the whole society I as well was hoping that the president would declare amnesty on May 28 on the occasion of the independence of Armenia. I was also hoping that the president would emancipate himself from that pressure prior to the Saint Petersburg meeting,” said the MP. “All I can do is consider his statement in the context of a message directed to the international community. I think that it is very important to make such statements closer to the June session of the PACE. This statement was made not for the internal use but for external,” said Safaryan by expressing sorrow that the government signifies more the external audience.
NA MP from the Prosperous Armenia party Naira Zohrabyan thinks that the moment of granting amnesty has become mature in the society. “The president of Armenia said that we should start from a new page at some point. I am sure that the amnesty may be considered this new page in order to fully overcome the internal tension and the syndrome of March 1. We should honestly admit that these problems are not overcome in our country yet,” mentioned Zohrabyan. “We should all confess that it was after March 1 that a gap was created in the society and the latter was divided into two parts. We cannot allow intolerance in our society and polarization. And all that can be done by a benign and generous step, which can be the amnesty.” Is the Prosperous Armenia planning to submit recommendations about the amnesty to the President’s office? When answering this question Zohrabyan mentioned that there has been no discussion within the party in this regard but she thinks that the Prosperous Armenia will express its positive approaches in this regard and will submit recommendations to the president.
The leader of the National Unity Artashes Geghamyan told us that the idea of amnesty had really ripened out in the society but didn’t connect its necessity with the prisoners of March 1. To the question whether the party is planning to submit recommendations to the president’s office Geghamyan said that they will submit their recommendations through one of the party members Koryun Arakelyan, who is a member of the Public Council.
“Yes, indeed, we will authorize Koryun Arakelyan to submit our party’s positive approach regarding the amnesty in the framework of the Public Council,” mentioned Geghamyan.
And according to the chairman of the Christian Democratic Union Khosrov Harutyunyan within the society there are supporters of amnesty and people, who are against this idea. “The ones, who are against the amnesty justify their answers with the fact that some people, who may be released because of the amnesty, may be people, who are serious criminals and haven’t yet fully carried on their punishment. And this means that the criminals may still be dangerous for the society,” said Harutyunyan. To our question whether there are such complaints in our society after the events of March 1 Harutyunyan said that those exist within the society. “There are people, who think that the March 1 prisoners were imprisoned without grounds and there are people, who think that they are guilty and should carry out their punishment,” mentioned Harutyunyan. He also said that his opinion will be fully formed regarding this issue only after the discussions of the Public Council.