Today saw another rally held by the Aylentrank (Alternative) movement outside the Matenadaran in Yerevan. The meeting attracted only a few hundred people and was much less than the already small gathering attracted for its first open air meeting held in Liberty Square on 20 February. A1 Plus was one of only a few media outlets reporting on the meeting.

Today the rally participants spoke of the NKR conflict. Alternative is namely concerned over the fact that U.S. State Department has qualified Karabakh as a territory occupied by Armenia. We find it amusing that Vardan Oskanyan sees this interpretation a mistake.

Once again, the meeting was held outside Yerevan’s Manuscript Library and not the square outside the Opera House. According to some sources as reported on this blog yesterday, Liberty Square is now off limits to the opposition with the Yerevan municipality saying that other public events are planned there until election day even though open air concerts are never usually staged at this time of year.

[…] as an excuse to refuse granting permission for Aylentranq to hold public meetings in Yerevan’s Liberty Square on 16 March at 5pm, the local authorities say that a rehearsal will take place there at the same hour and that they have received the appropriate notification from the Director of the Opera House.

Yet, at 5 pm today, apart from an empty stage and half a dozen police vehicles guarding the entrance to the Square, there was no sign of any rehearsal being staged at all. Interestingly, in comparison, there was only one police vehicle parked near the rally five minutes away at the Matenadaran, perhaps justifying concerns that the local municipality is restricting freedom of assembly.

Liberty Square, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian, CRD / TI Armenia 2007

What was most interesting about today’s event, however, was for CRD-TI Armenia to have the opportunity to talk to local blogger and Aylentrank activist, Aramazd Ghalamkaryan. Until recently, Ghalamkaryan was an Information Associate at the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia until his political activities resulted in his suspension. Unreported by the local media, rumor and speculation about his dismissal has been spreading in Yerevan in recent days.

Citing provisions in a document attached to his contract stating that UN staff members shall “conduct themselves at all times in a manner befitting their status as international civil servants and shall not engage in any activity that is incompatible with the proper discharge of their duties,” Ghalamkaryan’s employment has effectively been terminated because of his involvement with Aylentrank.

The same document stresses that “staff members’ personal views and convictions, including their political and religious convictions, remain inviolable,” but rather than receive a warning, Ghalamkaryan has instead been put on paid leave until April when his contract would have been up for renewal. Rather than fire him immediately, the UN has decided not to extend his contract after next month.

However, others point to the presence of two other members of the UN currently listed on the proportional list of the newly formed MIAK party. Only recently registered as a political party, MIAK has also been the subject of much discussion given a reported meeting with one of the Armenian President’s closest assistants, Armen Gevorgyan.

Of course, neither of these two other members have yet to make any public speeches at political rallies held in Yerevan, and both are not considered to be in opposition to Kocharian or the Government. Even so, it is quite clear that the same rules restricting political activity in the case of Ghalamkaryan also apply to all other members of the UN.

Rule 1.2 (h)

Staff members may exercise the right to vote but shall ensure that their participation in any political party is consistent with, and does not reflect adversely upon, the independence and impartiality required by their status as international civil servants.

[…]

Rule 101.2 (q)

Membership in a political party is permitted, provided that such membership does not entail action, or an obligation to take action, by the staff member contrary to staff regulation 1.2 (h) […]

Indeed, according to an official source at the highest level of UNDP speaking to CRD-TI Armenia, the two members of staff have since been given the option to resign or continue with their political activity. According to the source, both have chosen to withdraw their names from the MIAK list although this process is apparently “underway” at the Central Election Commission (CEC).

Speaking to CRD-TI Armenia, Ghalamkaryan says that was not given the same choice and was instead told that UNDP had already decided not to renew his contract anyway, although few people appear to believe that and not least because the UN is currently without an Information Officer. In fact, UNDP told CRD-TI Armenia that Ghalamkaryan’s involvement with Aylentrank was incompatible with his position as a public face associated with the UN in Armenia.

Clearly, his political activity did contravene UN rules, but on a personal level Ghalamkaryan does not appear to harbor any bitterness towards his former employers although technically he still remains under contract with the UN until next month. Perhaps more to the point after Ghalamkaryan’s experience is whether the names of two other members of the UN staff on MIAK’s proportional list are actually withdrawn in the very near future or not.

Aylentrank Rally, Matenadaran, Yerevan, Republic of Armenia © Onnik Krikorian, CRD / TI Armenia 2007