HAK going to hold mighty rally Sept. 9
The September 9 rally of the opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK) will be mighty and crowded, according to political scientist Ruben Mehrabyan.
During the meeting, Armenia's first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan will answer all questions that have been worrying our people in the past few months. Besides, the HAK is going to change its tactics as the authorities are not going to make any reforms in the country.
Unlike Mehrabyan, political scientist Ervand Bozoyan does not think that the upcoming rally will differ from the previous ones. Neither will it mark any changes in the opposition's tactics.
"People can no longer wait for changes. They have got tired of tautological statements, that is why fewer people are attending HAK's rallies," he said.
Regarding the suspended dialogue between the government and opposition, Bozoyan said that both the incumbent president [Serzh Sargsyan] and HAK leader [Levon Ter-Petrosyan] are eager to continue the talks.
"The dialogue will continue till the pre-election campaign. As soon as the latter activates, the talks will be interrupted. Not only the HAK, but everyone seeking a change of power, will announce that they can no longer endure immoral customs and want the talks to be suspended," said the political scientist.
Ruben Mehrabyan thinks that the obstacle hindering the talks will not be removed till September 9.
The HAK suspended its participation in the talks to protest the continued detention of one of its youth activists following a standoff with Yerevan police early in August. Levon Zurabyian, the head of the HAK's five-person negotiating team, accused the authorities of failing to deliver on a pledge to secure the release from detention of Tigran Arakelian, one of seven HAK youth-wing activists taken into custody on August 9 after the standoff with police in a Yerevan park. The other six activists have been released on bail. But Armenia's Appeals Court declined to free Arakelian, who faces charges of assault and hooliganism.
The HAK said the existence of "political prisoners," Arakelian, made the continuation of the dialogue "impossible." They accused the authorities of "doing everything to torpedo this dialogue." At the same time, the HAK affirmed its readiness to resume talks if Arakelian is set free.
HAK youth wing will stage a march in Yerevan today evening, demanding the authorities to release Tigran Arakelian.
