REFUSING DOGMAS

Those who wanted to take part in the "Turn" civil forum had to pass yesterday over the stones symbolizing the "human" rights, freedoms, democracy and the civil society which were thrown in the symbolizing "bog". This forum adopted yesterday an announcement where it is mentioned that it is formed such a situation in Armenia where our degree of independence reduces day by day. " Re-declaration of our real independence becomes a historical necessity and it is possible in case of refusing dogmas, in conditions of new approaches, new ways of thinking, in general we need in inspiring some turn in all spheres of the conscience
of our society."

…ON THE NIGHT OF 13

A year has passed since the authorities broke up the peaceful meeting of the opposition on Baghramian Avenue on the night of April 12. And if you remember, journalists who were doing their professional duties also suffered. It seemed such an infringement of constitutional law might cause a large tide of public discontent free from political sympathy and turned from "authority-opposition" field to another. For example each normal man even the most sincere admirer of the present authority must be indignant at torturing 18 years old girls at the police station of Erebuni community.
But nobody was indignant at it. Everything was over by not so populous meetings of some youth and public organizations after which everybody calmed down and forgot that April night. And the reason isn't that the authorities were assured once more how powerful and unpunished they were but that we, the common citizens adopted that as a normal and understandable demonstration. The most important lesson of that night is that we showed ourselves that they could treat us as they wanted. And more there were people who tried to be pleasant to the authorities and prove their activities producing the participants of the demonstration as the hirelings of the opposition. And if those heralds in authority were right it's all the same the authorities had no right to post policemen armed by batons and break up the demonstrators by water splashing machines. Even if the participants of the demonstration were active adherents of the opposition. Maybe it was necessary to break up the demonstrators with real cartridges for making people awaken. But this is also under the question; will our people go to protect their rights in this case? To protect just their rights and not the opposition's.