Mikayel Nayapetyan, who has translated Mikheil Saakashvili’s autobiographical book “Awakening of Forces” into Armenian, told that after the Yeghishe Charents house-museum the presentation of the book was canceled also by the “Noyan Tapan” bookstore, despite the prior agreement.
“Dear friends, I have to inform you that the presentation of the “Awakening of Forces” book will not take place in the “Noyan Tapan” bookstore. Here are the reasons for this absurd situation and the chronology of events: after the presentation was cancelled at Charents house-museum, I received offers for the presentation area from various non-profit entities. However, taking into consideration that legitimate sale of books was not possible in these areas, I could not accept those offers.
On January 29, with the awareness and agreement of the director of the “Noyan Tapan” bookstore, an agreement was reached on organizing the presentation in the hall of the bookstore. On January 31 I sent my passport data to prepare the contract for signing. On February 1, a representative of the “Noyan Tapan” bookstore informed me that the director abruptly refused to organize the presentation and even sell the books in their bookstore later, explaining that he does not want to have problems. I do not know any other details on this occasion. In my interviews, I have mentioned that the further course of the events will show whether the incident at Charents house-museum was a result of pressures or not.
Now I definitely insist that these two well-known and unreported rejections are the result of political pressure and are directed against the dissemination of the book’s content. This is an obvious and direct censorship.
Regardless of current conditions and the current situation, I express my solidarity with the Yeghishe Charents house-museum and the “Noyan Tapan” bookstore workers, all the citizens who have suffered from actions in other famous and unknown cases against the speech, information dissemination and receival, engagement in economic activities freedoms declared by the Republic of Armenia. I apologize for this situation. Due to organizational activities, I will have to limit the time provided for communication for which I also apologize to my friends and journalists”.
