HERITAGE STATEMENT

The Armenian presidential elections, held on February 19, 2008, became the culmination point for the most severe violations of the law that were ever committed throughout the tenure of today's authorities and, within the short track record of our independent statehood, they turned into a new and a deep sore inside the souls of the country's freedom-loving people.
While carrying out their societal and civic duties and an official commitment on the day of the elections, numerous Armenian citizens—among them three members of the Heritage Party's parliamentary group, many members of election commissions, journalists from independent news media, proxies of opposition candidates, and ordinary voters—became the targets of countless assaults, and their right to make a political choice was violated in a variety ways.
The incumbent authorities responded to the people's post-election resistance—waged against voting fraud and law infringements—by means of one-sided and biased propaganda disseminated by the media which are under their control and subsequently through the patent politically motivated arrests. We confirm, with deep regret, that the number of political prisoners in Armenia has grown and reached alarming dimensions.
Another matter of concern is the fact that on the day following the elections, the members of the OSCE/PACE observation mission attempted in their turn to legitimize, with a preliminary announcement, the results that were made public by the Central Election Commission which has silently encouraged the permissiveness carried out under the guise of "presidential elections" and which has practically coordinated the entire process of voting abuse. With its announcement, the aforesaid mission has deepened the Armenian public's distrust not solely toward the electoral process, but also toward the international community and the progressive international associations, which now are gearing double standards for the second year in a row.
Heritage has exerted great efforts to create, by way of legislative improvements, favorable preconditions for conducting free and fair elections, to secure political union and national unity in the preelection season, to endorse the rule of law at the election commissions, and to launch public oversight on the day of the elections. Unfortunately, the authorities, which have violated the rights and freedoms of Armenian citizens, yet again are attempting to crush their own people.
Heritage hereby demands from the ruling powers to put an end to the political pursuits and to refrain from the use of force against the peaceful civic gatherings.
During this crucial turning point at Armenia's history, each and every political force, which senses its responsibility for this situation and is capable of proposing avenues for resolving it with dignity, must review its course comprehensively and commence a public-wide dialogue for the sake of the country's future. One such review could be a just verdict handed down by the Constitutional Court with respect to the petitions filed by the former presidential candidates. Heritage expects the court to examine these petitions by acknowledging its accountability before Armenia's future and honoring the letter and spirit of the law, and to carry out an all-inclusive and a thorough examination of the petitions. The quantity and type of the election fraud and numerous other violations that occurred in and nearby the voting precincts on the day of the elections, as well as the shameful incidents that took place while the ballots were being tallied, indubitably bespeak their systemic nature, and this reality has caused a broad public distrust toward the elections and specifically toward the official voting results. We are full of hope that an impartial decision by the Constitutional Court would pave for Armenia the way leading to legitimacy, democracy, and civil rights.
Heritage assures that it will always stand alongside the people and the truth, and, by defending the fundamental precepts of Armenia's statehood, it will never back down from its political position as a systemic opposition. We therefore call on our members, supporters, and those citizens who await our say to not succumb to illegality and injustice, to steadfastly go forward and thus to exercise their constitutionally-protected rights.

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Headlines for February 29, 2008

RECURRENT SEARCH
At Present the police are conducting a search in the flat of MP Hakob Hakobian, pre-election office for Levon Ter-Petrossian reports.
ARONIAN TAKES REVENGE
The “Morelia-Linares-2008” Super Tournament resumed in the Spanish city Linares. Armenian GM Levon Aronian beat Veselin Topalov of Bulgaria thus taking a revenge on his contender. To remind, Aronian ...
ARTHUR BAGHDASARIAN ACCEPTS SARKISSIAN’S PROPOSAL
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CARDINAL TARCHIZIO BERTONE TO VISIT ARMENIA
On March 2-6 the Secretary of State of Vatican His Holiness Cardinal Tarchizio Bertone arrives in Armenia upon the invitation of the Armenian Government and the Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II. ...
ROLLED DOWNHILL
At 05.20 February 29 a ZIL-130 car went off course on Sevan-Yerevan highway and rolled downhill. In the result the passenger Haik Vardanian died on the spot. Rescuers were called to take the driver ...
ARTHUR BAGHDASARIAN MADE A STARTLING DISCOVERY
more images Today Armenia’s Prime Minister Serzh Sarkissian hosted Orinats Yerkir Party Leader, former presidential candidate Arthur Baghdasarian. Immediately after the meeting the parties signed ...
SARKISSIAN AND BAGHDASARIAN SIGN A MEMORANADUM ON POLITICAL COOPERATION
Presidential candidate Serzh Sarkissian and leader of the Orinats Yerkir Party Arthur Baghdasarian signed an agreement on political cooperation today. “The presidential election held on February 19, ...
NOTHING FOUND
Armenian MP Hakob Hakobian's house was locked at about 1.30 p.m. today. People crowded in the street told A1+ that more than 20 policemen had visited the Hokobians. They rummaged the house for a few ...
RECENT ARRESTS IN ARMENIA
A series of unwarranted arrests were made in Armenia at the post-election period. All detainees are either affiliated with opposition parties or relatives, acquaintances and friends of oppositionists. ...
ARMENIAN CHURCH PRIMATES ARE CONCERNED
On February 29, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, presided over a meeting of the diocesan primates and bishops of the Armenian Church in the Mother See of Holy ...
OYP MEMBERS TEAR OFF PARTY CARDS
more images Nikol Pashinian, member of the “Alternative” Public-Political Initiative presided over today’s rally at Liberty Square. The latter informed the ralliers of a political agreement signed ...
LEVON TER-PETROSSIAN REMINDS EU ABOUT ITS COMMITMENTS
Addressing today’s rally at Liberty Square Levon Ter-Petrossian underlined that the popular movement has reached an important haven, and the local factor has turned into an international factor. The ...
PROTEST ACTION IN VANADZOR
On February 29 about 2000 citizens of Vanadzor went on protest against election fraud and injustice during the presidential election in 2008. The rally was organized by the Vanadzor office of Helsinki ...
WOMEN HEAD THE MARCH
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TER-PETROSSIAN RESPONDS TO ARTHUR BAGHDASARIAN
Today Levon Ter-Petrossian mounted the platform with his granddaughter to answer reporters' question on the shameful news of the day according to which a person got some trifling position (he meant OYP ...
HERITAGE STATEMENT
The Armenian presidential elections, held on February 19, 2008, became the culmination point for the most severe violations of the law that were ever committed throughout the tenure of today's authorities ...