The Armenian Parliament unanimously called for the withdrawal of immunity and the arrest of the leader of the opposition party “prosperous Armenia” Gagik Tsarukyan. This result was obtained because the vote involved only supporters of the Prime Minister of the country Nikol Pashinyan from the block “step”. Mr. Tsarukyan is accused of bribing voters in 2017. However, the politician and his party are convinced that in fact he is being persecuted for calling for the resignation of the government Nikol Pashinian. During the “velvet revolution” in 2018 the party Gagik Tsarukyan supported Nikol Pashinyan and even helped him. Directly from the Parliament opposition leader was taken for questioning to the headquarters of the national security Service (NSS).The head of the largest opposition faction “prosperous Armenia” and one of the country’s richest men, Gagik Tsarukyan is accused of bribing voters during the election campaign of 2017. In this regard, on 14 June in the house of Gagik Tsarukyan and his party offices were raided.On Tuesday, rising to the parliamentary rostrum, Mr. Tsarukyan repeated that he considers the ongoing political persecution for his call for a change of government led by Nikol Pashinyan. “Fabricating the case — do as you want. But it’s all temporary, all this will last one or two months, not more,” he said, promising immediately after the end of the pandemic coronavirus to hold a rally. The politician also accused the government of putting pressure on him through the criminal proceedings instituted against his son. “I am ready to answer any question. Tsarukyan himself is (for questioning to the NSC.— “Kommersant”), but have respect, be Armenians, Christians, people — even though the son will be home for a senior,” said he.After that Gagik Tsarukyan was taken in for questioning. He still retains the status of a Deputy, refused to sit in the car of the national security Service of Armenia (NSS), preferring his own car. Then it sat for one of the officers of the NSS, and the motorcade went to the headquarters of the security services.Judging by what was in the morning on the streets of Yerevan, everything that happened with Gagik Tsarukyan was planned in advance.Arrested more than 150 people. In addition, supporters of Gagik Tsarukyan tried to block the trucks way in his hometown of Abovyan. Attempts were made to block roads and in the centre of Yerevan.Photo: Andranik Ghazaryan / SputnikКогда Gagik Tsarukyan left in the Armenian Parliament passed two votes: on the withdrawal of a faction of immunity and permit his arrest. In both cases, the deputies unanimously voted for. However, both the opposition faction “prosperous Armenia” and “Enlightened Armenia” — boycotted the vote that made the result a foregone conclusion. “We will not participate in this farce,” said the leader of the “Enlightened ArmenAI” Edmon Marukyan.Before the vote, the opposition had a chance to ask questions of the Prosecutor General of Armenia Artur Davtyan, who came to the Parliament. “Being at liberty and using their personal connections and financial resources, Tsarukyan may impede the process, to influence the defendants in the case,” he told MPs. In addition, the attorney General said that according to investigators Mr. Tsarukyan guilty in purely criminal and not political offences. The attorney General said that the facts about the involvement of Mr. Tsarukyan to the bribery of voters was discovered in February 2020 in the course of the search in the office of the company “Yerevanshin” in another criminal case involving charges of corruption by the head of urban development Committee Vahagn Vermishyan.On this occasion, the deputies from “Prosperous Armenia” and “Enlightened Armenia” tried to ask the attorney General why, having received evidence about the crime in February, he is seeking the arrest policy is only now and where deputies from the ruling bloc “move” took the materials of the investigation, which they published yesterday. Representatives of the ruling bloc, in turn, no questions asked.As for the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinian, he spoke for the first time about the case of Gagik Tsarukyan publicly by posting on his page in Facebook video search, conducted by the SNB in the house policy. “All the cases of impeding the will of the people must be checked in the order established by the legislation of Armenia, and lead to the result envisaged by the law. Freedom, democracy and the rule of law in Armenia there is no alternative. All are equal before the law,” he said.It is noteworthy that in the spring of 2018, the same public Prosecutor Artur Davtyan addressed the Parliament with the petition on the deprivation of immunity of the Nikol Pashinian. Then he was a Deputy from the block “EFC” and held an anti-government rally. Later, however, Mr. Davtyan admitted that he withdrew the petition at the request of the then Deputy Prime Minister.The NSS suspects her involvement in the bribery of voters. The Deputy announced that he received notice of the search warrant in his office.”What is happening now is a continuation of the change of elite,— said “Kommersant” the Director of Yerevan’s Caucasus Institute Alexander Iskandaryan.— The new elites are suspicious of people who are alien to them. Although during the revolution the party Tsarukyan supported Pashinian and even helped him, these people do not come from the same environment that “My step”. As you know, “the revolution devours its children”, and this process we see”. Meanwhile, according to Mr. Iskandaryan, completely clean up the political field of Armenia from their opponents Mr. Pashinian will not work: “the Next step will be the emergence of opposition already within the new elite”.Hayk Khalatyan, E��Evan
