Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Yesterday, on May 16, 2019, during the trial on Robert Kocharyan’s case, the latter announced that on March 1, 2008, a twenty-day emergency situation was declared only in Yerevan, which is 2% of the RA territory and in that case, as R. Kocharyan claimed, it could not be stated that constitutional norms ceased to be operative on the RA territory.

The mentioned claim made by R. Kocharyan does not correspond to reality, since all the assemblies initiated by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor after March 1, 2008 until April included were prohibited by Vanadzor municipality.

In particular, on March 3, March 20, March 21 and on April 1, April 2 and April 30, 2008, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Chairman Artur Sakunts and other Vanadzor residents applied to the Mayor of Vanadzor with the matter of holding assemblies in Vanadzor in March and April and received a refusal for each application.

Samvel Darbinyan, who was Mayor of Vanadzor at that point of time, placed in the basis of the decision the official conclusions given by the RA Police regional department head and RA National Security Service Lori regional department.

In the decision – dated March 4, 2008 – on the prohibition of holding an assembly, S. Darbinyan mentioned in particular, “Taking into consideration the collisions that took place in the capital of the Republic of Armenia – Yerevan, on March 1 of this year, as a result of which Vanadzor city population also suffered human loss, and the concern that the assembly to be organized may cause unpredictable consequences threatening people’s life and health [….] I decide to prohibit [….] rallies”. 

Outreach on holding rallies and Vanadzor municipality decisions (04-03-2008, 21-03-2008, 04-04-2008) are presented via links.