A representative of the opposition Heritage party led by prominent politician Raffi Hovannisian stated today that the controversial closure of their office earlier this month has paralyzed the party’s activities.

Political secretary Vartan Khachatrian told RFE/RL that “the ties between chapters and the center have in fact been severed”, as all database systems and even the party’s seal remain beyond their reach.

The party’s leader, Armenia’s ex-foreign minister Raffi Hovannisian asked law-enforcement authorities shortly after the office was sealed on March 4 to intervene in what he called an illegal act.

The party, which is expected to be a major opposition contender in next year’s Armenian parliamentary election, was locked out of the premises, which belong to a state-run theater and have been leased by Hovannisian has for more than a decade. Workers who put new locks on their external doors cited orders from the Paronian theater management which in turn pointed to Heritage failure to sign a new lease agreement with the Armenian government.

[…]

In mid-February Armenian Public TV H1 aired a report during its prime-time Haylur news program, alleging that the funds of the U.S. education charity, Junior Achievements of Armenia, led by Raffi Hovhannisian’s wife, Armine Hovannisian, had been diverted to the financing of opposition rallies organized by Raffi Hovannisian and collection of signatures in support of the latter’s presidential ambitions. Armine Hovannisian later denied the allegations as slander.

http://www.armenialiberty.org/armeniareport/report/en/2006/03/0A1294B0-16C1-4C13-BD34-306DF5D69A18.ASP

You mean until the next time someone harrasses him?

As if the former KGB detaining him at the airport, Public TV attempting to dirty his family name, and kicking him out of his premises before his lease expires (all within the past 4 months) wasn’t enough?

He is a fighter, which of course is why he should also fight this. If he didn’t, he’d just be the same as every other apathetic Armenian here…

Wasn’t it an end to the “vochinch” syndrome that you wanted?

Incidently, the issue of eviction of “undesirables” from rented premises is just one way the authorities can put pressure on them. A1 Plus is still facing the problem, and really, their activities — just as with RH — can be severly restricted.