Politics

“Armenia is a semi-authoritarian country and the situation has not changed since last year,” writes the recent report published by the Freedom House international organization. This evaluation is based on the results of the presidential elections 2008 resulting in the death of 10 civilians. According to this organization, Armenia received 5,39 points out of 7 …

Freedom House issued its annual report where Armenia ranks among the "consolidated authoritarian regimes." Democracy Suffers Dark Year in Former Communist States in 2008, runs the report Nations in Transit (NIT). Freedom House’s Annual Survey Nations in Transit (NIT) tracks democratic developments and setbacks of 29 countries in the former Communist states of Europe and …

Former President Robert Kocharyan has been formally included to the board of directors of a leading Russian corporation that controls Armenia’s largest mobile phone operator, it was announced. In a written statement, the Moscow-based group AFK Sistema said the appointment was approved by its shareholders at an annual general meeting held over the weekend. It …

“The issue of Vano Siradeghyan I consider the expression of conscience regarding to the political field of the third republic. There is no such person. He is pretty rare person, who combines an image of a statesman, representative of intelligentsia and a progressive person in general,” mentioned the deputy-chairman of the ANM Khahchatur Kokobelyan when …

And so the President of Georgia Mikhail Saakashvili paid an official visit to Armenia. It was clear that this fact wouldn’t make the Russians too happy. But the Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan went further. Saakashvili received the Medal of Honor from President Serzh Sargsyan at the start of his two-day official visit to Yerevan on …

Yesterday the Russian president Dmitry Medvedev paid a visit to Azerbaijan. After the meeting of the Russian and Azeri presidents Gazprom company executed a contract with the Azeri state oil company to supply Azeri gas. Starting from January 1, 2010, Gazprom company will buy 500 million cubic meters of gas per year from Azerbaijan. There …

The amnesty granted recently to release a part of the political prisoners arrested as a result of the presidential election 2008 became a reason to speak of politicians who have been persecuted in the past as well. Specifically, it concerns writer, publicist and ex minister of the inner affairs Vano Siradeghyan, who has been under …

“From the very first day they know one thing for sure; they know that they have to release the political prisoners,” said political prisoner and former foreign affairs minister Alexander Arzumanyan to us yesterday. “As this is a hostile regime, they are using every opportunity to release one person and keep the others. Thus if …

Since March 1, 2008 the term political prisoner has been the most discussed topic in the political agenda. Certainly this issue was not closed with the amnesty declared on June 19 because about two dozens political prisoners are still in cells. However it is hard to say that after releasing them Armenia will get rid …

Yesterday the wives of political prisoners gathered near the general prosecutor’s office to demand the release of the other political prisoners. Since April 7, 2008 the mothers, sisters and wives of political prisoners and the supporters of the ANM have been expressing their complaints with such actions against the violence and fake cases against their …