Nikol Pashinyan: Which article of Armenian Constitution allows authorities to kill and beat people with impunity?
During the parliamentary hearings on the constitutional reforms, opposition MP Nikol Pashinyan was asking uncommon questions.
In particular, the MP asked Armenian President's Representative for Constitutional Reforms Vardan Poghosyan which article of the current Constitution allows the representatives of the ruling clan and the large businessmen to beat and kill people without hindrance or punishment and whether there is a special article in the draft constitutional amendments forbidding people to make unlawful actions. "I'll point out some examples. In 2013 Governor of Syunik Province Suren Khachatryan killed Avetik Budaghyan and the case was swept under the carpet by the incumbent Prosecutor General Gevorg Kostanyan, who was appointed prosecutor general after that incident. Though Suren Khachatryan has three criminal records, he remains the governor of Syunik Province. In August 2015, President of the Football Federation of Armenia, large businessman Ruben Hayrapetyan beat and then abducted the CEO of Air Armenia. The case was swept under the carpet again and Hayrapetyan was not brought to account, So, my question is which article of the current Constitution allows the powers that be to do unlawful things with impunity and which article in your draft constitutional amendments aims to prevent such things? said Pashinyan.
Vardan Poghosyan replied that there is no Constitution in the world to stipulate special articles for such cases. "Constitutions are fulfilled by people. But the Constitution can create conditions to ensure the judicial system's independence and eradicate the atmosphere of impunity," said Poghosyan.
In response, Pashinyan said, "Yes, you are absolutely right. Constitutions are fulfilled by people. If the ruling regime roughly violates the current Constitution, what is the guarantee that it will stop doing that after the constitutional reforms? Then why are we holding all these debates?"