Politician No. 2

David Shahnazaryan, the former Minister of National Security of the Republic of Armenia, one of the founding members of the Armenian National Movement Party.

What do you think people have to do for changing the poltitical situation created after March 1 2008 events?

We have to be conscious and to analyze the political situation and that we should not make any mistakes like this government, this totalitarian regime makes. On March 1st, innocent people that had nothing to do with the manifestation were injured and killed one or two kilometers away from the demonstration. Hence this is out fight for freedom and I have no doubt that we will soon bring back democracy to Armenia, that we will regain our independence, that human rights will be respected and that we will have a civilized country. Other former soviet states went through this too. We must live through this too. We have already done that at the end of the 1980s when the first independence movement was founded in Armenia after the fall of the Soviet system. We gained our independence then. Now we need freedom in Armenia.

What are your thoughts about the future of Armenian youth, taking into consideration that they don’t want to live in this political context and they want to leave the country?

Only a few want to leave the country, not very many. Obviously, there are some young, disappointed people who believe there are no chances for democracy in Armenia in the near future. Unfortunately, there is this sort of mentality. However, I do believe we will have democracy in Armenia and this is because the society is divided. There is a part of society that stands united on the one hand and a criminal government on the other hand. When I say government, I mean all the branches of power: the Parliament, the legislative power and the executive power. It is for the first time in our history when people are fighting for democracy, human rights and freedom. Along our history, the Armenian people fought for so-called historical justice: the admission of genocide and for the national values. For the first time our society fights for the right to have civil society and for equity for the people. This is a new dimension of thought. Society has changed and within this system, it is impossible for this corrupted, totalitarian government to further exist.

What should be done in order to change this regime?

Everything our Movement does must be in conformity with the law. Obeying the law, we can bring change. This is why this movement exists, will exist and will develop. The authorities are pushing us to break the law but we will stand out and we will keep our policies. There one more reason: we need a united civil society. It is impossible for such a corrupted government to exist in this part of the world in the 21st century. Hence, I have no doubt that we will have a free and democratic Armenia.