It goes without saying that the trials of political and historical past may become an experience. There is only one compulsory precondition for that: the exclusion of lie and forgery. On lie you can create neither state (in case it's created, it may survive not more than 70 years) nor history (there are no unrevealed historical forgeries, there are still undisclosed historical forgeries).

All this, definitely, is obvious to one of my familiar "figures" Rafik Hambardzumyan. As an honored patriot, he is specially against the falsification of history of his nation. One of his publications, to be more exact, the title of the publication testifies to it: "The distortion of history of Armenia is merely intolerable". Let's go ahead and see who exactly distorts the Armenian history. Just don't hurry to guess.

According to Rafik Hambardzumyan, those perverting our history are no less than the ones who were speaking favorably of Movses Gorgisyan in media on his 50th birthday. So our ardent patriot could no longer bear it and tried to unveil the historic reality.

It's clear from the text that Rafik Hambardzumyan got vexed particularly with the qualification "martyr" given to Movses Gorgisyan. For those unaware he expounded the description of the mentioned word: ''The martyr is the one who consciously goes to sacrifice, believing that he can ensure the life and triumph of his people only at the price of his own life''. That is, Rafik Hambardzumyan takes the sense of the word to the mission of falling a victim alone for many people. Let me give for Mr Hambardzumyan the definition of the word ''martyr'' given in the dictionary: ''one who has suffered or fallen a victim for some idea or belief'' (Academy of sciences, '' Explanatory dictionary of modern Armenian language''). The synonym of the word ''martyr'' is victim (A. Sukiasyan '' Explanatory dictionary of Armenian language synonyms'').

It's noteworthy that when on 24 April 1,5 million Armenian martyrs are commemorated by the whole Armenian media, why doesn't Rafik Hambardzumyan rise against it giving his definition of the word ''martyr''? These victims are not roomed in his explanation of the main issue estimation, are they?

Whereas Movses is the one ''who fell a victim for idea, for belief''. Movses was a political figure, who didn't hesitate to take up arms together with his friends, left for the front with the most regular Independence Army soldiers of the time and perished in the trenches on the very first days. We have had thousands of victims in the Artsakh war. What a villain may dare as an accuser to discuss the circumstances of any freedom fighter's death… and why did he fall a victim? In case of Movses Rafik Hambardzumyan gives the answer even to this ''why'' question, offering for Movses another qualification instead of ''martyr'': ''A man shot to death in January, 1990 by an Azeri sniper bullet because of ignoring the exhortations of experienced fighters'' (the underlining is mine). I confidently assert that this very responsible announcement of the article writer has been made with a mean and concealing tendency. 

Well, why does Rafik Hambardzumyan get so vexed hearing words of praise for Movses? He himself gives the answer to this question, when we go ahead with reading his publication. In not an extensive text Hambardzumyan, right for eight times, ascribes to himself some work completed during the movement and the years preceding it like “organized by me”, “led by me”, “edited by me”, “entrusted by me”, etc. But in the range of this outright self-insanity the most repulsive thing is the announcement that he was the one to ''make public and spread'' the idea of independence by editing the paper ''Ankakhutyun'' and being the ''idea-monger'' of the latter.   

Rafik, all taken together, for about 250 years the Armenian ankakhakanner (fighters for freedom) gave their lives as a sacrifice for the idea of independence. Those years were given from their living time, while you were busy paving way for your red future. Where were you when Stepan Zatikyan, the embodiment of integrity and nobility, was going to death sentence for the idea of independence, when we-the Ankakhakanner, without hesitating, put our lives on the altar, rising against the superpower of the century, when prison and exile, endless persecutions and pursuits were our permanent companion? Why weren't you brave enough to be present at any litigation; if only you could secretly pay a visit to one of the convicts’ family, as was done by many people, who were not with us, but deep in their hearts they were our allies.  

I learnt from Paruyr Hayrikyan that there is a man who is ready to write political articles, but only in secret and only from the nook, in conditions of full absence of risk. You were the man, Rafik Hambardzumyan, who didn’t even act under his full name throughout the movement years, but chose for himself the nickname “Hamazasp” and hid himself under it. And after all this how dare you introduce yourself as a torchbearer of the idea of independence? Where, in what smithy did you get so hardened as a future guru?  

In those years Paruyr Hayrikyan used a method to inspire people: he encouraged the one crawling on all fours in politics that he was the only and indespensable one and that he shared this or that secret only with him. This method, rejected by me, inspirited many people, swelling up their ego unless they could come to their senses, went away or became enemies. In these labyrinths of egoism it was you that wandered most of all.

And when the movement was in its full swing, when your hiding place- weir already made no sense, you made a flexible jump over it right to the platform. It was a real jump of the idea man. But wait a minute, who was, unlike you, the enthusiast, who appeared at the political meeting that was ''prepared by you'', ''organized by you'', and in the very place of the platform that was supposed for you? Who was that Movses Gorgisyan?  There was a pressing need to ''liquidate'' him. And you made this offer to me, when I first saw you. Do you remember we were in the forest of Nork? It was you who asked for a secret meeting in an isolated place with the help of Mekhak Gabrielyan. We got acquainted with each other, and you immediately made two offers: to liquidate Movses Gorgisyan (in case when Movses was the founding member of the National Self-Determination Union (AIM)) and secondly, to define salary in AIM. I rejected both of your offers. And when some time passed and the circumstances were already favorable for the AIM workers to get money compensation, I refused from that money transferring it to orphans or families of perished freedom fighters. I fancy to what extent your astonishment would be if you learnt about it.

And do you remember how you cast a shadow on the idea of independence with all your successive speeches and deeds, failed any of our initiatives in the haphazard period when the glass of the truth was so fragile, served to our nation that had risen against historical injustice, come together, but at the same time was politically inexperienced? How many times has Movses saved the situation with his flexibility, keen mind and great charm and your situation as well? It was after such successive events that Movses, who had deep respect for the people older than he, called you “officials of Cheka”, and you, in order to dissipate the impression created by you, for the idea of independence made another flexible jump, but this time right towards Movses’s shoe to kiss it. All those present were surprised and shocked, even “your assistants” Varag Arakelyan and Mekhak Gabrielyan. Perhaps you cannot forgive Movses mostly for that very deed of yours. But wait, it turns out that you jump well. You just represent your jump as a flight in vain. You are not capable of flying.

You, Rafik Hambardzumyan, are a failure, even as a conceited man. In your "Distortion of history of Armenia is merely intolerable" or a similar publication “It’s enough to praise Movses Gorgisyan” you contrast Movses with freedom fighters who fell a victim to the Artsakh war and didn’t get adequate esteem, and speak of their interests. Firstly, the title of the national hero is not limited, and it's not because of Movses that, for instance, Leonid Azgaldyan, who was a member of AIM Independence Army military council, wasn't granted title of a national hero. The reason is that the culture of estimation has not yet shaped in our country. There is a great number of worthy people, killed in the Artsakh war, that remained in the shadow. This is a painful problem you're trying to speculate, directing the sharp edge of the guilt towards the memory of Movses. But Movses has another guilt too. The one for whom you spare yourself to use the words ''fall a victim'', according to you, ''was shot to death by an Azeri sniper bullet because of his inexperience '' (the underlining is mine), and also caused the death of two freedom fighters. Then why don't you offer posthumous death sentence for Movses? Or why are you so kind not to charge together with Movses other killed boys with inexperience?

But how experienced you are…

And you say all this from the position of turning the trials of the past into experience, exposing lie and forgery, re-establishing the truth, because you perfectly know their significance and also the nation's motive for searching the truth, nation that has experienced historical injustices. Have you looked for and found the distorters of the Armenian history? Read your article in a loud voice and you will see that actually you have tried to satisfy your smugness. But why on Movses's account? Because he is not alive and won't answer you back, because you won't have to kiss his shoe on your own initiative? You are deader than he and you simply want to get resuscitated in political life.

Well, look here what I am telling you: chew your political oath with sluggishness of a camel, just do not spit out in such a smelly way above you. Take it as a piece of advice to you. The second piece of advice is that you should no more deal with political pillage, it's not honest and don't make me..., I don't want to tell you by my right, ''Տվոյո մեստը վոզլե պարաշա, սուկա'' (your place is near the latrine, son of a bitch).

Razmik Markosyan

Member of the National Unity Party (AMK)
Founding member of the National Self-Determination Union (AIM)