LEADER OF ARYAN UNION PARTY ARRESTED FOR

UNCLAS YEREVAN 000133

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

DEPT FOR DRL AND EUR/CACEN

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PREL PHUM KCRM AM
SUBJECT: LEADER OF ARYAN UNION PARTY ARRESTED FOR
ANTISEMITIC STATEMENTS


Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect
accordingly.


1. (SBU) On January 24 Armenian authorities arrested
Armen Avetisyan on charges of "inciting national,
racial or religious hatred publicly and through mass
media means" in what authorities called a "preemptive"
measure. Avetisyan is the leader of the small,
marginal extremist Armenian Aryan Union, a fringe party
with no seats in parliament and no national power base.
Avetisyan had attracted media attention most recently
in November 2004 for a series of anti-Semitic
statements he made during press conferences and in his
party's publications. In December 2004 Avetisyan again
grabbed headlines launching a campaign to "expose" the
names of homosexuals within the GOAM. The
representatives of the Jewish community and other human
rights groups applauded the arrest. If the court finds
him guilty, Avetisyan could face three to six years
imprisonment. The GOAM has not announced a trial date
but stated its intentions to keep Avetisyan in custody
until his first hearing.

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COMMENT
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2. (SBU) The GOAM's willingness to take a stance on
anti-Semitic comments is a welcome sign -- we will
watch the progress of this case with interest.
EVANS