Aram Manukyan: Ombudsman of Armenia should be braver

 Secretary of the Armenian National Congress (ANC) Faction Aram Manukyan urges the Ombudsman of Armenia to be braver. 

"You should be the first oppositionist of the country, because it is in the human rights area in Armenia that the situation is desperate.  The lack of legal safety of the citizens is the second major reason of migration after poverty. You should be an offensive player rather than a defensive one. However, your statements and reports reflect nothing of the kind," said Manukyan. 

He pointed out that Andreasyan cannot achieve any tangible results because his approaches are too civilized. "You are constantly seeking protection in the Parliament, however, the Parliament is the structure where the human rights are violated most of all and in the most blatant way. You should be protected by international conventions rather than by the Parliament and the authorities.  Moreover, the criticism of the Parliament and the authorities should be the best assessment of your work," said the oppositionist.         

In the meantime, the Ombudsman's reports do not coincide with the reality, because the latter is much worse, Aram Manukyan stressed, meaning the activities of Syunik governor Surik Khachatryan and Head of the Football Federation of Armenia Ruben Hayrapetyan, which are not reflected in the Ombudsman's reports.

To note, the names of Surik Khachatryan and Ruben Hayrapetyan are related to a number of incidents with lethal outcome. On May 2 a scuffle took place near the Sdghi gyol site in the vicinity of Goris.  Armenian citizen Harutyun Zakaryan received bodily injuries and lost his eye. According to the Zakaryans' evidence, it was Surik Kachatryan's son Tigran Khachatryan that inflicted the grave injury to Harutyun Zakaryan. Khachatryan was arrested but was released shortly after. Surik Khachatryan and Tigran Khachatryan were also targeted in the investigation of the murder of Avetik Budaghyan, however, the case was dismissed.

As regards the incidents connected with Ruben Hayrapetyan, his bodyguards beat the director general and owner of 51% of Air Armenia company Arsen Avetisyan and the Karabakh war veteran Smbat Hakobyan.  On 17 June 2012, several military doctors were brutally beaten at the Harsnakar restaurant owned by Ruben Hayrapetyan. One of the doctors, Vahe Avetyan, died of the grave injuries at hospital on June 29, 2012.