“Serzh Sargsyan has received a carte blanche to crush the opposition,” stated today Armenian National Congress coordinator Levon Zurabyan who bases his predictions on the recent initiatives taken by Serzh Sargsyan.

“The Caucasus Stability and Cooperation Platform will help create an atmosphere of confidence in the region,” Turkey's President Abdullah Gul announced during the 63rd session of UN General Assembly.

On September 24, on the 100th day of his tenure of office, Chief of the RoA Police Alik Sargsyan held a press conference. Naturally, most questions addressed to the Chief of Police referred to the March 1 occurrences.

The Armenian National Congress has already notified the Yerevan City Hall about the upcoming rally and march on September 26. The City Hall rejected the notification with a groundless and fake excuse. The leitmotif of the coming rally is the local election in Kentron district.

“All elections are important, especially the local government elections because local government is the closest to the people and the people usually judge by the local government bodies,” told A1+ first president Levon Ter-Petrosyan in regard to the local government elections to be held on September 28 and especially the Kentron community elections.

Former Deputy Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangiryan was welcomed with a round of applause as he entered the court session hall and said the following after he congratulated everyone on the occasion of Independence Day: “Next year, we are going to celebrate that day together in a new Armenia.”

It is still unclear whether Kentron community head candidate and current district head Gagik Beglaryan’s rally will take place at the Matenadaran.

A delegation of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe will pay a visit to Armenia, from 25 to 29 September, to observe the local elections for the renewal of the municipal Councils, which will be held on 28 September. The Congress delegation will be headed by Véronique Moreira, Regional Councillor of Rhône Alpes (NR, France, R).

The RA law on “Freedom of Information” was passed exactly five years ago on September 23, 2003, yet today, many state structures don’t have the desire to work openly. In an interview with “A1+”, director of the Freedom of Information Center Shushan Doydoyan said that officials often refuse to give out information claiming that the government has not passed a resolution on the process of information access to date.

The case of Vardan Jhangirian, brother of former Deputy Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangirian, has been dismissed because of Vardan Jhangirian’s poor health state, Advocate Ervand Varossian informed A1+ today. Vardan Jhangirian has been hospitalised.

“The opposition has always applied and will continue applying only legitimate and peaceful methods stemming from our principles. We shall continue our struggle through legal means,” Leader of the People's Party of Armenia (HZhK) Stepan Demirchian said in reply to A1+'s question whether the opposition might mitigate its strategy taking into account the regional tension.

Elections to self-government bodies in Yerevan’s Kentron district are scheduled for September 28. Two candidates stand for the post-the acting district head, Republican Gagik Beglarian and former district head, Leader of the Pan-Armenian National Movement (HHSh) Ararat Zurabian.

“No matter who becomes U.S. next president, Barack Obama or John McCain, no developments are expected in the U.S. policy in regard to South Caucasus,” says Dr. Dennis Sandole, Professor of Conflict Resolution and International Relations from George Mason University (USA). Mr. Sandole was in Armenia last week.

The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia has decided to respond to media outlets according to which the Armenian Government does not meet its commitments set by the ECHR decision on “Meltex Ltd vs. Republic of Armenia,” i.e. the Government hasn't yet compensated Meltex Ltd the sum fixed by the ECHR.

After the March 1 events Gor Kloyan’s mother Azatuhy Manukian found her 29-year-old son already dead on the operating table at 4 a.m.

The Constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, the law places some restrictions on the religious freedom of adherents of minority religious groups.

“Armenia lacks pluralism,” “Hanrapetutiun” (Republican) Party member Suren Sureniants said at today’s discussion on freedom of mass media organised by the National Press Club (NPC).

Today’s extraordinary sitting of the National Assembly lasted an hour. Obviously, it was convened to publicise NA Speaker Tigran Torossian’s “long-awaited” resignation.

On October 3, 2008, the Administrative Court of the Republic of Armenia will hear the suit of the “Victims of State Needs” NGO against Yerevan Mayor Erwand Zakharian.

More than 100 MPs were present at today’s extraordinary session of the National Assembly. One could even see Ruben Hairapetian, Samvel Alexanian and many others among the deputies.

Upon the initiative of Armenia's Government the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia convenes an extraordinary session at 12:00, September 19.

Although the rally on September 15 was permitted, there was an unprecedented amount of policemen standing on the streets of Yerevan. Press speaker of the Armenian National Congress Arman Musinyan stated today that according to their information, there were police subdivisions from all provinces, except the Syunik Marz and there was a lot of aggression.

U.S. Armenian political analyst Richard Kirakosyan stresses the importance of the meeting of Abdulah Gull and Serzh Sargsyan, however he considers Turkey’s intermediary mission as impossible. “The Russians and Americans are colleagues in the Minsk Group and both want to keep the status quo and that is why Turkey can’t enter the negotiation process,” said Kirakosyan.

“It is very important to have the resolutions of the European Court of Human Rights, including that of the “A1+” TV be acted out as soon as possible”, told “A1+” today professor of the Foreign Institute of Public and International Rights named after Max Plank, former vice-president of the European Commission on Human Rights Jochen Frowein.