STEPANAKERT (A.W.) — Nagorno Karabagh Republic (NKR) President Bako Sahakyan held a meeting on Feb. 3 regarding the police blockade and assault on members of an opposition group that took place near Berdzor in the Kashatagh region of the Goris-Stepanakert highway on Jan. 31.
According to the report released by the President’s office, Sahakyan met with the Director of the National Security Service Arshavir Gharamyan, Police Chief Kamo Aghajanyan, National Assembly Chairman Ashot Ghoulyan, Prime Minister Ara Harutyunyan and other officials, to discuss the incident between NKR police and members of the Armenia-based Founding Parliament (previously known as Pre-Parliament), an opposition group whose aim is regime change in Armenia.
After the meeting, Sahakyan’s office confirmed that the president has commissioned the police chief to conduct a detailed investigation of the incident. “Unfortunately the subsequent development of events had an undesirable outcome. Tragically, it was impossible to avoid the disturbances and confrontation, which received public resonance,” read the statement.
On Jan. 31, police and unidentified men blocked and assaulted around 40 cars traveling from Armenia to NKR on the Goris-Stepanakert highway near Berdzor, preventing them from crossing into Karabagh.
The Founding Parliament said in a statement that around a dozen participants of the car rally, under the banner of “100th Anniversary without this Regime,” suffered injuries in an ambush by NKR police—some in uniform, others in civilian clothing, and some masked. Police wielded bayonets at the cars and rally participants, in an incident that was caught on film by the protesters. Car windows were smashed, and the tricolor flags were snatched off the vehicles.
Police say they intended to “prevent mass disturbances,” after news of the planned rally gave rise to concern among a large segment of the population in Karabagh. NGOs based in Karabagh also reportedly joined calls against the planned initiative. The police acknowledge their units were stationed at various points on the Goris-Stepanakert Highway.
Speaking with reporters about the incident, ARF Supreme Council Representative Aghvan Vardanyan said the incident in Berdzor was unacceptable, and that it must be condemned. Vardanyan also stressed that “the approaches, modus operandi, and goals of Pre-Parliament, especially its slogan ‘100th Anniversary without the Regime,’ are unacceptable to [the ARF].”
If there was a concern about a disruption, the cars could have simply have been blocked by a gate that was let down across the entrance.
But why the need to stop them at all, and why the need, if they were stopped, to mistreat them?
No excuse for violent attack !These ” policeman” were ordered by higher ups…If perpetrators are not brought to justice ! Good bye to Artsakh for me.
Ես լրիվ համաձայն եմ իմ որդի Հայկ Նազարյանի կարծիքի հետ և կարող եմ միայն ավելացնել որ ցանկացած հերոս եթե նա չի ցանկանում Հայոց պատմության մեջ մնալ որպես այդպիսին և ժամանակի ընթացքում դառնում է պրովակատոր, ապա նա արժանի է քրեական պատասխանատվության։
Դեպի Արցախ բազմաքայլ պրովակացիոն ավտոերթի կազմակերպման փաստը հենց դրա վառ ապացույցն է։
Բայց նրանք չհասկացան որ գործ ունեն Ազատ Արցախի հետ, որը ոչ մի միջազգային պայմանագրերով շղթայված չէ և կարող է ըստ արժանավույն սանձազերձել բոլոր տեսակի պրովակատորներին և դիվերսանտներին։
Կեցցե՛ Ազատ Արցախ Աշխարհը։
Կեցցե՛ Հայաստան
I think this incident was very unfortunate because it has the potential to divide us both in Armenia and abroad. I cannot say too much about it since I don’t live there. As a diaspora Armenian, I respect the Artsakh hero Sefilyan, but I don’t know why his movement’s (Sardarabad) approach has to be so hard-line. They posted a youtube video right after this incident took place and in a few days it already had several hundred thousand hits. It seems a lot of Armenians are angry at Artsakh authorities for how they handled the situation based on some of the comments there.
I think the ARF is correct in saying that such a term “centennial without the regime” is not appropriate, so I wish they would reconsider their approach and name. And why are they even surprised they got roughed up with such a militant name? Some posters are claiming the movement is “foreign backed” – I don’t know if that is true, but it does not seem like it to me. I think they are just some Armenians there with patriotic sentiments who are convinced that they must make certain changes. Whatever does happen on the centennial, I hope there will be no blood shed, we don’t need it. In fact our enemy is drooling over such a prospect, they are constantly looking for an opportunity to launch an invasion. On the centennial we need unity more than ever.
Անշուշտ սա նորութիւն չէ: Մեր կաոավարական կազմերը,Սովիտից ժառանգաժած
գործելակերպով, փոխարէն ժողովուրդի հետ բանակցութիւն վարելով հարցերը քննելու և մի դրական արդիւնքի հասնիլու, նրանք Քօշարեանի պէս գնդացիրով են բւլոր հարցերը փակում:
please view:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF33yx8jpo
“modus operandi”? “goals”? did Aghvan Vardanyan forget that the “R” in ARF stands for “Revolutionary”.
Garo,
If you going to play the revolution card then don’t come running over here crying about betting beaten up.
Norserunt, was your response directed to me? there is no Garo on these comments and i mentioned revolution so i assume you were talking to me. what are you talking about? do you know me personally?
i have not cried about anything. are you in LA or elsewhere outside Armenia? if so, be happy and keep quiet and stop your ridiculous unfounded accusations. sad, very sad, that Armenians like you exist who condone, cheer for and glorify brutal violence like this.
{“… be happy and keep quiet…”}
(Gokor Yegnukian // February 7, 2015 at 10:11 pm //)
Who are you tell any poster @ArmenianWeekly to keep quiet ?
Did you get hired as a moderator @AW and forgot to tell us about it ?
Only ArmenianWeekly can tell posters to, quote, “keep quiet” on the pages of AW (… by not publishing their comments.)
Myself, Norserunt, Joe Blow, Jane Doe…..can say whatever we want, as long as AW lets us.
AW and only AW: not you, not the so-called ‘Pre-Parliament’, nobody else.
{“ that Armenians like you exist who condone, cheer for and glorify brutal violence like this.”}
The leaders of this group have publicly threatened to use force and violence to overthrow, in their fertile imagination, the democratically elected Government of Armenia.
The leaders of this group have publicly threatened to Սատկացնել public figures in RoA.
The ones glorifying violence are the leaders of this irrational group itself.
The leaders of this irrational group condone, cheer for and glorify brutal violence by their public statements.
{“… are you in LA or elsewhere outside Armenia…”}
You yourself have stated you have live in and out of Armenia: Yes ?
Are you the only one who is allowed to live in and out of Armenia and voice opinions about what goes on inside Armenia ?
Are you somehow special ?
Avery, you cannot be more hypocritical. You are chastising Gokor for telling people to “keep quiet”, whereas you constantly tell people to be quiet unless they themselves have personally served in Artsakh. That is why I called you a dictator, remember?
Gorkor? I thought you were Garo because there is a “Garo Yegnukian” in Pre Parliament. So Yeah, I live and study in the US and I spend my summers in Armenia when I dont have school. So can I have my own opinions? Artsakh is a war zone, you have no right in trying to cause trouble there. No I am not happy how things went down but from what I understand you guys were warned about not to go. Why did you go? Why did you take your kids? Very strange behavior. You want to play revolution? So don’t come crying here when people call your bluff.
Alex, you couldn’t be more desperate: show me my specific comment where I told someone to “keep quiet”; i.e., I used the exact phrase “keep quiet”. Go ahead, I’ll wait.
I know what I tell people about serving in Artsakh and why: that’s not why you called me a ‘dictator’.
You called me a dictator, because you are unable to argue facts with me, you lose the argument, so in desperation call people names.
This group was asked not to travel in a convoy to Artsakh since as far back as December 2014, due to potential for incidents, given the very strong feelings of anger expressed by residents of Artsakh, most of whom are themselves veterans of the NKR war.
The viewpoint of Artsakhtsi.
Հայաստանի հիմնադիր խորհրդարանի ավտոերթը դեպի Արցախ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n_gw67wPJyY&feature=share
now you’re responding on behalf of Norserunt.
1)of course you can say what you want, i just ask that you back it up (re: western funded, etc.)
2) they have threatened to use force, they have said they may use force to defend themselves. you are so evasive in your posts. i refer to the attack that took place on January 31st and you refer to your imagination. i have yet to hear you condemn the attack, which most decent, sane people have even ones under the regime and who are completely against what Founding Parliament is doing.
3) you said you lived in SoCal on an earlier post.
4)here is “part 2” of the video you posted. why does Artsakh TV now show what happened after they asked FP to turn around. they had at least 3 professional camera including a drone camera. they are very well aware that there was no provocation and that is why they are afraid to show the remainder.
I write posts on my behalf. I don’t know who [Norserunt] is.
You seem to be a little confused: this is a public forum.
There is no private conversation between posters.
Anybody can reply to anybody else.
1)What “western funded” ? Did I say that ?
2)Publicly stating they will kill public individuals is not “defending themselves”. Try to threaten to kill a public official in US and see what happens. The people who condemn some of the violence also condemn the group for going to Artsakh when asked not to. The same people also condemn this group for attempting to hijack the commemorations of 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The fact that these delusional people are planning some kind of a disruption of that unique day tells me everything I need to know about their sick agenda.
3)You said you live in and out Armenia.
4)The “part 2” of the video was prepared by this so-called pre-parliament. It is quite good, with dramatic music and all that. The so-called pre-parliament video shows their version of events. The ArtsakhTV showing hundreds of Artsakh residents walking to confront the group, clearly indicates the potential for large scale violence if the group was allowed to go further.
left out the video, here it is:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbF33yx8jpo
Don’t know about other countries, but here in US if a police Officer tells you to turn around and go away, you obey, or you will be arrested – if you are lucky.
If they order you to get out of the car, you get out.
If they order you to stay in the car, you stay.
You mouth off to a cop – you will be beaten to a pulp.
And then you will be arrested, and charged with: 1) Disobeying a lawful order by a sworn peace officer; 2) Disturbing the peace. 3) Resisting arrest; 4) Assault & battery on a police officer.
The Law in US invariably gives the presumption to the law enforcement officers.
And the law gives cops the legal right to _initiate_ use of force to obtain compliance and enforce the law.
A couple of examples:
Cops in New Mexico smash the windows of minivan and open fire.
Minivan is driven by a mother, with 5 of her children inside.
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/mexico-cops-heart-sank-shooting-minivan-21569544
(one cop was fired from his job for discharging a weapon at a car that was driving away from him: the other cops who smashed the windows with batons were within the law)
Indiana police smash car window, Taser passenger.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/video/2014/oct/08/window-smashed-stun-gun-taser-indiana-police-video
you’ve never claimed that FP is Western funded? interesting, now you are an outright liar.
as for the rest, why do you keep bringing up US examples and you yourself claim that you “Don’t know about other countries but here in US…”
FP DID follow the orders of the police – they were attacked as they were turning around and continued to be attacked while trying to leave, that is the whole damn problem.
“The so-called pre-parliament video shows their version of events.”
are you insane? what VERSION. that is what happened not some fictional recreation. why don’t the police show what happened???
there was not one rebuttal from the FP, not one curse, not one negative gesture, NOTHING to warrant an attack.
i’ve wasted enough our my time and that of conscientious readers, this will be my last post on this page. if you wish to continue you may email me directly at gokor@erebuni.net.
same goes for you Norserunt – the name is Gokor, not Gorkor and why would you think i was Garo?
are you guys too afraid to contact me directly and you need to hind behind anonymous names in a public forum??
Gokor
There is a “Garo Yegunkian” in the group. If you are not him are you his son or relative? And please don’t take me not taking you seriously for being afraid of you. You sound like a teenager.
Gokor, don’t take my not taking you seriously as a sign that I fear you. The only Yegnukyan I know is one Garo in Pre Parliament. Are you a relative?
Founding Parliament activists had no business in Artsakh, especially at a time like this when the region is in a virtual state of war. Founding Parliament activists should not have taken their women and children with them, especially since they were warned not to. With that said, Artsakh police did not have to act this aggressive. They could have easily erected a roadblock and turned back the vehicles. The police should have roughed up or arrested only those who resisted. By this action, were Artsakh police sending a messege to foreign governments seeking to cause unrest inside Armenia? I don’t know. What I know is that this should not have happened. I put the blame ‘squarely’ on the “complimentary politics” of Armenian officials in Yerevan for allowing Western-led opposition activists in Armenia to get this far.
PS: Gokor, stop with trying to turn this matter into a personal issue. You are sounding like a young lad trying to pick a fight. What does that say about you? As far as the Western-led opposition is concerned: There is a good American saying: If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, it’s most probably a duck! The political agenda of certain segments of Armenia’s political opposition directly and indirectly serves Western and Turkish interests. It’s up to YOU to prove that the opposition is not Western-led.
PS: Norserund, has it ever dawned on you that there may be more than one Yegnukian?