Upon our request, Artur Sakunts, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor and a member of the Army in Reality Initiativereferred to the statement made at yesterday’s NA Session by the head of the RPA Youth Branch, MP Karen Avagyan. Karen Avagyan labeled Artur Sakunts a traitor and a grant consumer.

The number one guarantee of preventing corruption risks is political will. Artur Sakunts, Chairman of HCA Vanadzor,  stated this in a conversation with 1in.am, when he commented on the chart of corruption perception index released by Transparency International. 

An interview with Artur Sakunts, Chairman of Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor
Noratert: There is some information that in the near future some Armenian groups, speciallytrained like the Muscovite skinheads,will be organized in Yerevan to fight against structures and phenomena, which are foreign and strange to our morals and customs, and are violating our national and spiritual values. As a human rights defender, what do you think about it?

Human rights activist Artur Sakunts believes that the public denial of Victor Darbinyan in response to “Hetq” article is a result of pressure towards him. He believes that only in case of reaching an agreement under pressure the preventive measure of detention used against V. Darbinyan’s son would be changed. He is assured that the detention was unlawful and “disproportionate.”

Yesterday a criminal case was filed at Special Investigation Service against Senior Lieutenant Stepan Simonyan, Senior Police Officer on operative cases from Unit 3 of Yerevan Police Department Criminal Investigation Division with features of Part 1 of Article 311 of RA Criminal Code. (“Taking bribes by a state official”). The latter is charged with receiving 500 USD bribe from a citizen.

Investigative body has generated some prosecutions, but its critics say it isn’t addressing corruption as systemic issue.

On April 5, 2011 the Lori Region Court of First Instance rejected a claim,submitted by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor office, regarding the elimination of the decision “over refusal to file a criminal case” against RA Lori Region Prosecutor M. Khachtryan on January 30, 2011. Lori Region Court of First Instance did not revise the decision” over rejecting to file a criminal case” against RA Lori Region Prosecutor’s Office.

On April 5, 2011 at approximately 12 p.m. the Lori Region Court of First Instance will hear a preliminary trial regarding the case submitted by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor against Lori Region Prosecutor’s Office decision.

Based on a claim initiated by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor, the Lori Region Prosecutor’s Office has reached a resolution to withdraw the filingof a criminal case against the organization.

4 cases have been brought against the Lori Region Prosecutor’s Office for accusations of bribery as well as of abuse of their official position.

On February 2, 2011, the RA Lori Region Prosecutor’s Office reached a resolution to reject filing a criminal case against an investigator from the Investigation Department of Lori Region for exceeding his official authorizations.

On February 3 of 2011, HCA-Vanadzor addressed to a handful of residents from Lernapat community, who were concerned with Lernapat community council obstructing the preliminary investigation by exerting pressure on the witnesses.

Lori region Lernapat village mayor Vano Eghiazaryan initiated a criminal case against his co-villagers Gevorg Melkonyan and Gharib Mitichyan, who, according to him, had made “insulting” and “slandering” comments in his address in the September1, 2010 issue of the “Zhamanak” daily and caused damage to his prestige, dignity, and business reputation via mass media.

On October 17, 2010 a working meeting on “Anti-corruption Policies and Good Governance” was held in Helsinki Citizens' Assembly-Vanadzor (HCAV).

In 2008-2010 Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly – Vanadzor implemented the project “Creation of Advocacy and Support Center in Vanadzor”, which was financed by Cassals and Associates Inc. implementing USAID “Mobilizing project Against Corruption.”