Landmark Court Ruling. Justice? Or Just a show?
Armenialiberty.org reports on the plight of the 3 Armenian army conscripts accused last year of murdering two fellow soldiers in Karabagh. Whilst the military prosecutors charged the soldiers with murder,one of the conscripts claimed he was forced into confession through torture, and subsequently withdrew his “confession”
Human rights groups have been criticising the trial for a long time, and many believe it was a cover up and the soldiers were infact murdered by Captain Ivan Grigorian, the commander of their unit, and a war veteran. The conscripts were believed to be “scapegoats” for a military cover up.
The soldiers have staged hunger strikes, and protests, and are in very poor health. But it seems justice has been done, and the appeals court ordered the verdict as invalid and the soldiers are free.
This shocked me to a degree, as we are so used to perverted justice in Armenia. I wonder is this a genuine ruling against the military prosectors ( the first in Armenia’s history) or does it have deeper meaning? Perhaps a pre election publicity stunt, although I believe this would be an unlikely explanation.
Any comments?
Bravo, a great judicial precedent has been acclaimed. Finally some justice in Armenia’s military court. What I would like to see is the instantaneous court marshalling and military demotion to private of current Commander Seyran Ohanyan for attempting to cover up the real killer in this case, the ever-raging lunatic mad-man-of Martakert, Captain Ivan Grigorian. Listen readers, just because Grigorian was branded by his pals, as a so called “NK war hero” does not give him a license to kill his own men, especially during peacetime. Goes to show that murdering fellow servicemen is an accepted norm for Armenia’s military corrupt. I now wonder if Monte Melkonian’s politically convenient death was similarly orchestrated by the same murderous yet politically ambitious group-think approach.
Comment by Jack — 12/25/2006 @ 2:51 am
I dunno what to say anymore. I guess we gotta wonder, which is better Glendale or Yerevan? Yerevan is a Soviet city built in the middle of hayasdan. Glendale is an Armenian city built overseas. Does Glendale offer more freedom than Yerevan? which is better Glendale or Yerevan?
Nobody has the courage to answer.
Comment by ani — 12/27/2006 @ 5:30 am
Don’t know what the 2nd comment had to do with the original post, but I will answer the question - Yerevan is BY FAR better than Glendale. I have lived in both, so I am telling you this from personal experience. I expect many people would disagree with me, but that’s just my personal opinion.
Comment by Vahagn — 12/27/2006 @ 11:35 am
I think this approach of evaluating Yerevan with Glandale, or Armenia with any other country of the world is dramatically, hideosly wrong. Many people in life, and in this blog likewise, claim, that the ‘other’ country is bad, or worse then Armenia and thus try to justify all the evil we have to face here. People - this is WRONG! This is dramatically WRONG. Why don’t you understand, that we in this country have a responsability before ourselves, our children, our own future, to stand up and say - no, this is not how it should be… instead we all keep looking for justifications: “We were brought up in the Soviets…”; “USA is worse then Armenia…” blah, blah, blah…
I DON’T CARE ABOUT WHY, I DON’T CARE WHO ALSO is bad, corrupt, undemocratic!
This is my country and I have a VISION for it - and I have the RIGHT granted to me by my CONSTITUTION to participate in the decision making in this country and make sure it corresponds to my VISION, goes the path of Democracy and European orientation that I find the best option for this country!
And I will fight for it, like I would fight against any other threat to the well-being and security of my country, like I will fight if there is a new war in Artsakh!
Comment by Observer — 12/27/2006 @ 7:36 pm
Good point, Observer. That’s why I said I didn’t know what the question about Glendale vs. Yerevan had to do with the original post.
Comment by Vahagn — 12/27/2006 @ 9:58 pm
I have to confess that the case and ‘justice’ were no persuasive to me. i am not inclined to believe so easily in justice in armenia and moreover in its military system. I am afraid i cannot call justice spoke for the soldiers being free, in case there is no evidence on who were the real murderers, how and why for all the months prosecutors were so insistent in getting the soldiers punished even not paying attention to the health status of starving soldier with his mouth sewed (I have been following the case through www.armenianow.com journalist zhanna alexanyan). justice is not only freedom if the two soldiers who survived the military regime, it is the follow up of all the questions raising after.
i have to say though that i merely cannot afford myself ethically to be optimistic about the case as in the same armenian army there is suspiciously high rate of suicides, which as to me is to signal about others who did not manage to appear in court and contact human rights practitioners.
Comment by grigg — 1/10/2007 @ 3:32 am