Davit Matevosian
Born in 1960
Imprisoned in Vardashen high security facility
This interview was possible thanks to his son, who mediated our discussion. Davit Matevosian's hand written papers, which contain the answers to my questions, were brought to me by his cell mate's wife.
How did you begin your political activity?
Davit Matevosian: I started my political activity at the same time the Karabakh Movement was born, which was a national liberation movement. Back then I didn't consider myself a politician and not even now I consider myself as such. I'm only a simple citizen who feels responsible for the society he is living in.
Tell me about the political events that followed the elections and about March 1st.
Introduction
Due to our government's "efforts", an elective system that wasn't within the Armenian electoral legislation and Constitution. Of course, from the outside, this system is similar to the European democratic one, but it's really a criminal and immoral process. And this criminal process is, of course, controlled up to the highest level by this totalitarian regime. Fortunately, among the citizens of Armenia there are also people prone to democracy, who see the possibility of a political change only through presidential elections.
Post-election events
The day after the elections, a vast number of people gathered in the Liberty Square for a protest meeting that had been announced at the last moment. This probably happened especially because of the preliminary voting results, which certainly didn't satisfy the citizens. Supporting Levin Ter-Petrosian and shouting "Hima! Hima! ("Now! Mow!"), the protesters were requesting for the fight to go on. That's how the meeting started, a legal meeting and within the law. Te crowd that was gathering in the Liberty Square decided to avoid any form of violence and radical action. The people remained in the square for days, in a continuous protest, spread even on the secondary streets approved for the meeting. With each day, the crowd got larger and larger.
Wanting to put an end to the meeting, the government started a series of criminal actions against the protesters, especially against the leaders, searching their houses, confiscating their personal cars and detaining activists. Therefore, until February 26th, 12 activists had already been arrested, along with the Deputy Prosecutor General, who had publicly denied the government's criminal actions during and after the elections.
As a counter-balance of the February 26th meeting, the government organized another meeting in the Republic Square to prove its popularity and support among the population. But the crowd was gathered by force and, consequently, the participants started boycotting the meeting, finally joining the protesters in the Liberty Square. This came in as a shock for the government. Meanwhile, Levon Ter-Petrosian handed in a litigation note to the Constitutional Court against the public voting results approved by the Central Election Commission. The protesters were expected to remain in Liberty Square until the Constitutional Court of Armenia made a public decision.
On the same day, the meeting between Robert Kocharian and the Yerevan State University students was broadcast on television. Kocharian condemned the Opposition's actions, saying that either the protest ends by itself, or the special forces would stop it.
The March 1st Events
On March 1st, Kocharian's "Plan B" was put into practice. Before daybreak, the special troops, comprised of hundreds of men in uniform, specially equipped, surrounded the Liberty Square, heading towards the protesters. Levon Ter-Petrosian shouted into the megaphone, telling the protesters to avoid any acts of violence. Ter-Petrosian was silenced by force, his megaphone was confiscated. The protesters were violently dispersed by the rubber police sticks and the tents they were staying in for two days were destroyed. They used tear gas and electroshocks against me. I saw two wounded protesters. One of them, a woman, was lying on the ground. I helped her get up, she told me she was able to walk and then drew away with a limp. The other one was a man with a bleeding head wound whom I sent to the hospital by taxi.
How does the Prosecution justify for your detention?
Davit Matevosian: During the first month, I was detained for having disobeyed a police order, for resistance and infliction of bodily harm brought to a police agent. All this time, the accusers couldn't prove this accusation and a new one was "created", one that was applied to all the protesters detained on the morning of March 1st. It is important for me to mention that each and one of us were arrested in different places, far from the Liberty Square, the police having taken the decision to arrest all the protesters after they were dispersed. The new accusation sounds like this: resistance to the arrest and during the way to the police station, without causing harm (verbal resistance, especially curses, threats or pinches).
In my case, they stated I had hit a policeman on the hand and he had felt a short pain in his arm, though he couldn't remember exactly which hand he was talking about. However, the Court decided to give me a three-years sentence, based on the testimonies of the two police officers that arrested me, that took me to the police station, frisked me, questioned me and took care of the other legal measures. In the official report of my arrest, written on the morning of March 1st, they didn't mention anything about my having resisted arrest. And according to the Armenian law, the policeman who took care of the legal measures can't be a witness in the same file and can't issue a statement.
The Trial Court and the Court of Appeal ignored this and refused to file the testimonies of other two citizens arrested at the same time, who witnessed my detention. They made an official appeal through my lawyer for their testimonies to be filed, but their request was denied. I see the justice system in Armenia as a servant for the government who carries out any political command and any given task.
What changes do you expect in the near future?
Davit Matevosian: We have an anti-democratic government, which is only interested in personal gains and which treats its citizens like slaves. A criminal regime has been created, one full of oligarchs. And the oligarchs represent that part of society that solves everything up with money and force. This is the tool used by the government to solve internal problems in Armenia, even during the elections. Beside this, we have a monopolized economy. A radical social polarization, we have anarchy and a population completely ignored. And, of course, we have a fictional democracy and the elusory will of the government to solve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. On one hand, we have an authoritarian regime who managed to extend its existence for a while organizing the bloody events on March 1st. And on the other hand, we have the National Movement, a democracy embryo that is developing through the Armenian National Congress, that stands for democracy in Armenia. And I see how the international community has started to view the situation. I am sure that, in the near future, the Armenian citizens will become the rulers of Armenia.
What are your plans after you release?
Davit Matevosian: For me and for many others, this movement is a fight for an European political model of democracy and at the same time one against a system like "Han" Asian system. Out of the will to prevent any misshaping of this goal and its changing into a fight that aims to change an elite whose only interest is following their corporate interests, a few citizens in my generation, including me, published a brochure entitled “The Alternative”, which contains an important principle: “during this fight, each of us needs to be capable of changing his wish to become first in line with the acceptance of being the last in line”. Being imprisoned doesn’t mean this is the end for me. Surely, after my release, I will continue the fight for the same principles and for the same purpose. I think that the activists in my generation are capable of setting up the grounds for a civil society in Armenia, as a continuous and irreversible process.
