On June 19, the National Assembly, in a special session voted 98 to one (and three abstentions) to accept the President’s proposal regarding an amnesty for those in prison. Although it is easy to assume that this proposal is aimed at finding a face-saving way to release the opposition leaders who have been detained, it is not at all obvious that this is the final intent of this decision that will apply to those who have been sentenced to five years or less, and are not repeat offenders.
Much remains unclear. No one seems to know whether as a result of this move to provide amnesty, any or all of those political activists jailed before or after March 1 will be freed. Will the opposition leaders or the members of parliament who’ve been imprisoned, some since before March 1, be released, is the question on everyone’s mind.
This is unfortunate for two reasons. First, because if this were a step that should have been hailed by the Armenian public and the international community, too, a lack of transparency regarding the motion itself and its intent has resulted in a less-than-desirable public reaction, as evidenced by the demonstration that took place outside the halls of the National Assembly during the motion’s discussion.
The cynical reactions were quickly apparent. After all, next week, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is to discuss the Armenian situation, one more time. This move to provide amnesty will probably mean that that body will conclude its session without imposing sanctions on Armenia. Yet, the real political impact of such amnesty won’t be clear for months later. Those who are currently incarcerated, but still have no legal decision rendered in their case – that is, the majority of the opposition leaders — will have to wait for the judgments to be delivered, in order for amnesty processes to begin. So whether the Council of Europe’s desire to see an environment conducive to dialogue is truly created as a result of this parliamentary decision remains to be seen.
The second reason that this amnesty option is unfortunate is that it comes one year too late. During this year, Armenia’s international standing and credibility have been damaged. Armenian society has remained divided. Political apathy and cynicism reign. The judicial system continues to lose credibility. Armenia remains a problem topic on the agenda of the Council of Europe. And, most recently, the American Millennium Challenge Corporation suspended assistance to Armenia since Armenia did not manage to maintain basic democratic and rule of law standards.