Armenpress

ARMENIAN NATIONAL SECURITY SERVICE REVEALS ‘HUGE’ ARMS CACHE

YEREVAN, DECEMBER 29, ARMENPRESS; Officers of the Armenian National Security Service (NSS) revealed December 28 a huge cache of illegally kept arms and
ammunition when searching the home of a resident of Lusarat village in the southern province of Ararat, it has emerged today.

The National Security Service identified the resident as Vahan Aroyan, 47, known commonly under his nickname of ‘Uncle Vanik.”

A statement by the NSS said the search was part of an investigative operation into a case that involves Zhirayr Sefilian, the leader of a non-governmental organization in Defense of Liberated Lands and Vartan Malkhasian of the Fatherland and Honor party. Both men
had been arrested earlier this month and charged with plotting “to violently overthrow the constitutional order.”

The statement said the NSS officers revealed various types of weapons-guns, automatic rifles and machines, grenade cup discharges, a Strella mobile rocket system, thousands of bullets, mines, grenades and radio communication devices.

Vahan Aroyan was arrested and a criminal case was started to investigate the case.

On Wednesday an Armenian court of appeals refused to rule the release of Zhirayr Sefilian and Vartan Malkhasian, pending the investigation into their
alleged plans.

Armenia’s National Security Service says both men set up a clandestine organization, called the Alliance of Armenian Volunteers, to prepare an armed revolt against the government during parliamentary elections, slated for next spring.

Anyway, according to RFE/RL, Sefilyan’s people say this guy has nothing to do with them although they do admit he fought alongside him in Karabakh.

Armen Yeghian, another senior member of the HKH, said the arrested man, whom he identified as Vahan Arotian, is a former comrade-in-arms of Sefilian. But he insisted that Arotian “has had no practical involvement in the activities of our structure.” “He could not have participated in the [December 2] gathering because he had nothing to do with our structure,” Yeghian told RFE/RL.

Regarding former soldiers from Karabakh, right. I know the family of one late fedayi who still keep his kalishnakov even though they’re not allowed to by law. Hope they don’t get raided next. Regardless, the rocket launcher seems a little over the top, but I don’t suppose an underground army is going to keep their munitions out in the open when the NSS is sniffing around.

Anyway, the timing is interesting i.e. Armenia has pretty much closed down for New Year and things won’t even start to get back to “normal” until 13 January. Of course, they could be guilty, but some concern has to be raised simply because it all seems a little too convenient. What the odds, huh? Being unable to so far prove Sefilyan and Malkhasyan were planning a coup d’etat and then finding a stockpile of weapons.

Actually, I suspect this is more for international comsumption so that that the CE doesn’t start looking at what might potentially be political prisoners. Internally, it only matters in so much that technically they need an excuse to detain political opponents and to frustrate their activities.

Don’t know, I reserve judgment, but consider that it’s up to the authorities to prove that this is not the persecution of political opponents in the run up to the parliamentary elections. I’m sorry, threatening to “crack heads if territory is returned to Azerbaijan” is not evidence of planning a coup d’etat or an armed uprising in May.

Even a stockpile of weapons isn’t evidence, and that’s assuming there really was one or that they weren’t just rusting souvenirs from the early 90s.