For those that read my logs for raw honesty of what really goes on here and maybe felt you got the short end of the stick last week when I only reported on the good that goes on here, this is your compensation and also my need to let off a little steam.
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYS ARTASHAT INCIDENT WAS A PRE-PLANNED ACTION
YEREVAN, February 4 (Noyan Tapan) - Around 50 drunk people armed with knives and steel rods made an assault on the RA presidential candidate Aram Karapetian's campaign manager, deputy chairman of the "Constitutional Right" Union, NA deputy Hayk Babukhanian and his companions in Artashat, the Ararat Region, at around 3:50pm on February 4. The incident occurred during a visit to the Ararat region staged as part of Aram Karapetian's electoral campaign. Hayk Barukhanian was rushed to hospital with a back injury. The doctors assure that the patient's life is out of danger. Mr. Babukhanian's driver sustained a head injury, another two of his companions incurred slight corporal injuries.
Mr. Babukhanian fired into the air out of self-defense during the clash, Aram Karapetian's Campaign Headquarters press secretary Artur Sahakian revealed to Noyan Tapan. The primary gunshot was shortly followed by another 2 or 3 shots, however it was impossible to locate the source of those shots due to the general turmoil. Those gathered, according to Sahakian, told the assailants belonged to the Campaign Hedquarters of the presidential candidate, President Robert Kocharian. The "Constitutional Right" Union chairman Hrant Khachatrian revealed in an interview with Radio Liberty that being originally from Artashat he recognized the attackers as "men" of Hovik Abrahamian, the minister in charge of local government and industial infrastructure affairs.
Aram Karapetian didn't rule out the possibility that both of the theories might be true to fact. He expressed his certitude that the incident was a pre-planned action, as "it is impossible for so many armed men to incidenatally gather at the same spot." Besides, they staged a particularly successful meetings prior to their visit to Artashat in other parts of the Ararat region and the people didn't harbor any foul mood, Mr. Karapetian stated. Everywhere they received a warm and cordial welcome.
Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched in connection with the case.
###
I don't know how many of you remember this incident, but when the smoke settled and the elections were over, I visited Artashat to see what happened that day and look into seeing who this Hovik Abrahamian is?
What I found was the people of Artashat believed that Hovik Abrahamian, AKA "Mook" (meaning "Mouse" in Armenian) was in fact the one who organized the men who ran the campaigners out of Artashat. They added that those that did the stabbing were compensated for their services by "Mouse" after Kocharian was elected, meaning they were not charged and are now doing well for themselves.
The people I spoke with went on to tell that "Mouse" has privatized most everything that is worth privatizing in Artashat, done everything he could to prevent the educated people who live in Artashat from working in government and in some cases even in their own private businesses, and has brought in his uneducated relatives and friends to hold almost every government post and control business and industry there.
I wont even bore you with Mook's house, which if you ask me, makes Vasken Sarkisian's father's house (this is a huge complex that you can see on the main road in the Ararat region) look like a small common house.
So why am I bringing this subject up now?
Well it seems that the Armenian government is considering a major overhaul of its policing structure that could lead to the creation of a single powerful ministry overseeing local governments and the national police.
You would think that such a structure would prevent people like "Mouse" from doing what they have been doing in the past, but from what I recently read, I fear that such a structure could make things even worse.
And why would such a structure be bad for us? Well guess who they are thinking about putting in charge of this new ministry? You guessed it, Hovik "The Mouse" Abrahamian, who is said to be the unofficial number two figure in Prime Minister Andranik Markarian's coalition government.
If the story "Armenian Government Mulls Major Police Overhaul" (click here for story and picture of "Mouse") that appeared on July 28, 2003 on RFE/RL is true, you really have to start to wonder who the Prime Minister is and if he's really qualified to run this country, as this is not the way one should run a country. First it's selling orphans to foreigners and now this. What will be next?
PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE SAYS ARTASHAT INCIDENT WAS A PRE-PLANNED ACTION
YEREVAN, February 4 (Noyan Tapan) - Around 50 drunk people armed with knives and steel rods made an assault on the RA presidential candidate Aram Karapetian's campaign manager, deputy chairman of the "Constitutional Right" Union, NA deputy Hayk Babukhanian and his companions in Artashat, the Ararat Region, at around 3:50pm on February 4. The incident occurred during a visit to the Ararat region staged as part of Aram Karapetian's electoral campaign. Hayk Barukhanian was rushed to hospital with a back injury. The doctors assure that the patient's life is out of danger. Mr. Babukhanian's driver sustained a head injury, another two of his companions incurred slight corporal injuries.
Mr. Babukhanian fired into the air out of self-defense during the clash, Aram Karapetian's Campaign Headquarters press secretary Artur Sahakian revealed to Noyan Tapan. The primary gunshot was shortly followed by another 2 or 3 shots, however it was impossible to locate the source of those shots due to the general turmoil. Those gathered, according to Sahakian, told the assailants belonged to the Campaign Hedquarters of the presidential candidate, President Robert Kocharian. The "Constitutional Right" Union chairman Hrant Khachatrian revealed in an interview with Radio Liberty that being originally from Artashat he recognized the attackers as "men" of Hovik Abrahamian, the minister in charge of local government and industial infrastructure affairs.
Aram Karapetian didn't rule out the possibility that both of the theories might be true to fact. He expressed his certitude that the incident was a pre-planned action, as "it is impossible for so many armed men to incidenatally gather at the same spot." Besides, they staged a particularly successful meetings prior to their visit to Artashat in other parts of the Ararat region and the people didn't harbor any foul mood, Mr. Karapetian stated. Everywhere they received a warm and cordial welcome.
Meanwhile, an investigation has been launched in connection with the case.
###
I don't know how many of you remember this incident, but when the smoke settled and the elections were over, I visited Artashat to see what happened that day and look into seeing who this Hovik Abrahamian is?
What I found was the people of Artashat believed that Hovik Abrahamian, AKA "Mook" (meaning "Mouse" in Armenian) was in fact the one who organized the men who ran the campaigners out of Artashat. They added that those that did the stabbing were compensated for their services by "Mouse" after Kocharian was elected, meaning they were not charged and are now doing well for themselves.
The people I spoke with went on to tell that "Mouse" has privatized most everything that is worth privatizing in Artashat, done everything he could to prevent the educated people who live in Artashat from working in government and in some cases even in their own private businesses, and has brought in his uneducated relatives and friends to hold almost every government post and control business and industry there.
I wont even bore you with Mook's house, which if you ask me, makes Vasken Sarkisian's father's house (this is a huge complex that you can see on the main road in the Ararat region) look like a small common house.
So why am I bringing this subject up now?
Well it seems that the Armenian government is considering a major overhaul of its policing structure that could lead to the creation of a single powerful ministry overseeing local governments and the national police.
You would think that such a structure would prevent people like "Mouse" from doing what they have been doing in the past, but from what I recently read, I fear that such a structure could make things even worse.
And why would such a structure be bad for us? Well guess who they are thinking about putting in charge of this new ministry? You guessed it, Hovik "The Mouse" Abrahamian, who is said to be the unofficial number two figure in Prime Minister Andranik Markarian's coalition government.
If the story "Armenian Government Mulls Major Police Overhaul" (click here for story and picture of "Mouse") that appeared on July 28, 2003 on RFE/RL is true, you really have to start to wonder who the Prime Minister is and if he's really qualified to run this country, as this is not the way one should run a country. First it's selling orphans to foreigners and now this. What will be next?
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