During the passing week a number of issues have simultaneously been the
center of the Armenian public’s attention. Each of the issues taken separately
relates to this or that area and phenomenon, but on the whole they are
associated with the general social system and existing approaches to the
administration of the country. First, the Chief Prosecutor’s office made public
the results of the postmortem examination of Levon Gulyan’s body that died at
the police premises on May 12. Levon Gulyan’s mysterious death has been for
weeks now the center of the public’s attention and Gulyan’s relatives and a
number of public organizations demand fair investigation to clarify the cause
for the death of Gulyan in the police building where he had been taken for
interrogation as a witness. According to official information, as disseminated
by the police, Gulyan died while attempting an escape through a window when he
stumbled and fell down from the second floor. The relatives are confident that
he was simply beaten and killed. The investigation is carried out by the Yerevan
Prosecutor’s office. On May 31 the Prosecutor’s office disseminated Gulyan’s
forensic examination results, which state that “according to the conclusions of
Levon Gulyan’s postmortem examination the latter’s death was caused by bodily
injuries incompatible with life, which are the consequence of the combined open
cerebrum, and internal blunt chest and spinal injuries. The injuries identified
through autopsy are by their nature and location typical for falling down from a
height (approximately 7 meters), as well as hitting, during the fall, other
obstacles and later a blunt hard surface, including asphalt covered ground. No
posthumous injuries were identified by forensic examination of Levon Gulyan’s
corpse. The preliminary investigation is in progress. The conclusions of other
examinations have not been received yet.”



The Prosecutor’s conclusion makes it apparent that the investigation is not
going to confirm the killing hypothesis and will only give a legal force to the
official hypothesis announced by the police. This is not surprising since there
have been numerous cases in Armenia when the law enforcement system has put to
the rack and beaten witnesses, defendants, suspects, however there has never
been a precedent for somebody to be punished publicly for that. It seemed that
Gulyan’s case would be exactly that precedent taking especially into account
that the case had become widely known. However, the Prosecutor’s office seems to
prefer to stick to the way of preserving the “honor” of the regimentals. Time
will show what will be the way chosen by European experts who have been invited
by organizations demanding fair investigation of Gulyan’s death. However, so far
very little has looked promising. The European experts promised to make public
their conclusions the previous week, but the week passed, then the second week
passed; yet the Europeans are silent.



The longer this silence and the more official law enforcement sources talk, the
more questions arise because of Levon Gulyan’s killing. Why did Levon try to
escape knowing very well that the window faces the police building’s yard, which
makes it practically impossible to flee? Why would he try to flee when before
that he had voluntarily presented himself to the police? There are also many
other questions that are related to the information that Gulyan’s relatives have
and which have so far remained unanswered. Therefore, the problem that refers in
general to the Armenian law enforcement system remains also unaddressed. Will
this problem remain within the vicious circle of impunity, of impunity and
unavailability, or public efforts can ultimately break this chain so that it
does not remind of the Bermuda Triangle where one disappears without a trace or
resurfaces only dead? Society is yet waiting an answer to this question.



Parallel to this, society is waiting also for some other answer from the law
enforcement bodies, this time about the impunity of the official kin and their
accountability under the law. This passing week has basically revealed nothing
about the armed settling of scores between the Gyumri mayor’s son and the son of
the former head of the urban development department of the Shirak marz in terms
of punishing those guilty. The sons of former and current officials are yet
under investigation that is in a sense they are trying to escape punishment. The
twelve-year-old child who was lost during the shooting has not been found yet.
It is presumed that the child was killed by the shootings and for that reason
the guilty parties have simply hidden him. Instead of the sons, the talking is
made by their fathers, of course without bearing for it neither legal nor even
moral responsibility, for were it the case they would simply be ashamed to
appear on the TV screen, which they did with great pleasure the passing week.




Whether with pleasure or with a sense of obligation, by the end of the passing
week the Constitutional Court undertook to examine letters of complaint
connected with the parliamentary elections. The complaints were brought to the
attention of the Constitutional Court by some opposition parties: the New Times
Party, the Rule of Law Country Party, the Armenian Democratic Party, the
Impeachment Alliance, the Republic Party. The Constitutional Court is continuing
to listen to the sides, which are yet presenting their arguments. The first two
days of hearings provide little food for thought and analysis. Therefore, it is
the experience of the previous years that is the basis for conclusions to be
drawn and analysis, something that is hardly optimistic. If during the previous
years those guilty for obvious violations in elections were not punished, if
those elections were not reviewed, what one can expect from the “best”
elections. So far, nothing. Society is waiting what changes the current week,
during which the CC will continue its examination, will bring. The
Constitutional Court is obliged to conclude its review of complaints and arrive
at a decision within 15 days.



The experience of the preceding years compels society to look distrustfully yet
at another important activity, which was also launched at the end of the passing
week. It is the united school graduation examination, which is at the same time
an admission exam. Similar to previous years, different officials made
responsible statements that the examination would be fair and objective. And in
spite of the fact that the prime minister convened a meeting and gave
directives, already on May 31, the eve of the examination, there was a
forewarning received from Gyumri according to which some people offered their
assistance to parents in exchange for five thousand drams. The Education and
Science Ministry immediately responded by calling upon parents not to succumb to
the provocations and cheatings by these people. In fact, facts of cheating
exist; simply parents are advised not to succumb to temptation.



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