Paris-Geneva-Yerevan, October 20, 2009. The Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) and the World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), along with the Civil Society Institute, Helsinki Citizen's Assembly Vanadzor office, the Helsinki Committee of Armenia, the Collaboration for Democracy centre, Transparency International Anti-Corruption Centre, as well as the Foundation against Violation of Law, welcome the release on bail of human rights defender Arshaluys Hakobyan.
On October 16, 2009, the Court of First instance of Kentron and Nork Marash Communities of Yerevan decided to release on bail Mr. Arshaluys Hakobyan, a member of the Armenian Helsinki Association and press photographer of the official website of the organisation (www.hahr.am), who had been in pre-trial detention for four months. Immediately after the hearing, Mr. Arshaluys Hakobyan had to sign a document by which he committed not to leave the area. He eventually walked out of the court room free and the trial was postponed pending complementary investigation.
On June 6, 2009 the Court of First Instance for Kentron and Nork-Marash districts had placed Mr. Hakobyan in pre-trial detention. His arrest followed his attempt to monitor the elections for the Mayor of Yerevan together with a group of observers. After he had filed a complaint to challenge denial to accede a polling station, the police summoned him and eventually arrested him. Mr. Hakobyan was charged with "violence against a Government representative" pursuant to Article 316 of the Criminal Code and trial started on September 16, 2009.
The aforementioned organisations welcome Mr. Arshaluys Hakobyan's release, and thank all the persons, institutions and organisations who intervened in his favour.
Nevertheless, our organisations deplore that Mr. Arshaluys Hakobyan remains charged with "violence against a Government representative". Our organisations urge the Armenian authorities to put an end to any kind of harassment, including at the judicial level, against Mr. Arshaluys Hakobyan, in conformity with the provisions of the United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders and with international and regional human rights instruments ratified by Armenia.
Our organisations also denounce that, in the course of arrest and detention, Mr. Arshaluys Hakobyan was subjected to acts of ill-treatment. Therefore we urge the Armenian authorities to order a thorough, immediate, effective and impartial investigation into the above-mentioned facts, the result of which must be made public, in order to identify all those responsible, bring them before a competent, independent and impartial tribunal and apply to them the sanctions provided by the law.
posted on: http://www.a1plus.am/en/society/2009/10/20/human-rights
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Friday, October 09, 2009
Tigran Arakelyan is free
The RA Prosecutor General's office has discussed the process of the preliminary investigation at the Kentron investigation division of the RA Police of the criminal case against representative of the Armenian National Congress youth wing Tigran Arakelyan at the Kentron investigation division of the RA Police. Tigran Arakelyan is charged with committing a hooligan act and applying force against a state figure. The investigator gave a report of the evidence and the range of issues to be discussed during the preliminary investigation.
As press speaker for the RA Prosecutor General Sona Truzyan told "A1+" that a testimony was given to the investigator to speed up the necessary investigation.
Taking into account the fact that the main examination has been completed and Tigran Arakelyan's arrest will not impede further examination, and the diagnosis of a convulsion of Tigran's eye nerve given by the chief optician of the RA Ministry of Health, a testimony has been given to change his precautionary measure, that is, imprisonment and choose a new precautionary measure with his signature to not leave the country.
Let us remind that Tigran Sargsyan is in critical health condition. He is diagnosed with convulsion of the left eye nerve. Tigran was arrested on July 5 after the representatives of the Armenian National Congress youth wing got into a conflict with the police while passing out flyers about the Congress rally.
A short while ago, Tigran was released from the Prisoners' Hospital and immediately headed toward the Saryan statute to meet with his fellow Armenian National Congress members. Members of the congress and friends had gathered near the hospital half an hour before Tigran's release and greeted him shouting "Freedom", and "Free, independent Armenia".
posted on: http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2009/10/8/tigran-arakelyan
As press speaker for the RA Prosecutor General Sona Truzyan told "A1+" that a testimony was given to the investigator to speed up the necessary investigation.
Taking into account the fact that the main examination has been completed and Tigran Arakelyan's arrest will not impede further examination, and the diagnosis of a convulsion of Tigran's eye nerve given by the chief optician of the RA Ministry of Health, a testimony has been given to change his precautionary measure, that is, imprisonment and choose a new precautionary measure with his signature to not leave the country.
Let us remind that Tigran Sargsyan is in critical health condition. He is diagnosed with convulsion of the left eye nerve. Tigran was arrested on July 5 after the representatives of the Armenian National Congress youth wing got into a conflict with the police while passing out flyers about the Congress rally.
A short while ago, Tigran was released from the Prisoners' Hospital and immediately headed toward the Saryan statute to meet with his fellow Armenian National Congress members. Members of the congress and friends had gathered near the hospital half an hour before Tigran's release and greeted him shouting "Freedom", and "Free, independent Armenia".
posted on: http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2009/10/8/tigran-arakelyan
Saturday, September 19, 2009
"Robert Kocahryan is the godfather of March 1"
Opposition Heritage faction MP Armen Martirosian today demanded Prosecutor-General Aghvan Hovsepian's resignation for concealing the perpetrators of March 1 deadly clashes.
"On March 1 I said there were provocateurs among demonstrators. Why didn't the NA Ad-Hoc Commission looking into the March 1-2 events refer to it in its final report?" Armen Martirosian asked the Commission Chair and added». The answer is simple: the Prosecutor's Office did not order the Commission to disclose and liquidate the provocateurs."
Then, the Heritage MP raised rhetoric questions: "What was the use of an armoured car in the capital? Were they liberating the city from enemies? What were the Defence Ministry troops doing at the square?"
"Robert Kocahryan is the godfather of the March 1 carnage and he must shoulder full responsibility for the deadly clashes," announced freelance parliamentarian Victor Dallakian. "Starting from 1991, presidential elections in Armenia ended in cataclysms and tragedies. History shows that power change is impossible in Armenia through elections. The only attempt to change power through elections failed in 1999 and ended with the parliamentary carnage of October 27."
"President's chair is mined in Armenia," announced the deputy and suggested changing the constitutional order making Armenia a parliamentary country with a president having symbolic powers.
Commission member and leader of the National Concord Party Aram Harutiunian said March 1 could have been averted through the All-Armenian Catholicos. "On March 1 the Catholicos was to go and speak to people instead of meeting the two presidents.'
Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Davit Harutiunian, criticized the Armenian police and Prosecutor's Office for inexperienced work, drawbacks and non-professionalism.
Coalition parties sounded pleased with the parliamentary commission laying the blame on the opposition.
poted on: http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2009/09/17/parliament
Then, the Heritage MP raised rhetoric questions: "What was the use of an armoured car in the capital? Were they liberating the city from enemies? What were the Defence Ministry troops doing at the square?"
"Robert Kocahryan is the godfather of the March 1 carnage and he must shoulder full responsibility for the deadly clashes," announced freelance parliamentarian Victor Dallakian. "Starting from 1991, presidential elections in Armenia ended in cataclysms and tragedies. History shows that power change is impossible in Armenia through elections. The only attempt to change power through elections failed in 1999 and ended with the parliamentary carnage of October 27."
"President's chair is mined in Armenia," announced the deputy and suggested changing the constitutional order making Armenia a parliamentary country with a president having symbolic powers.
Commission member and leader of the National Concord Party Aram Harutiunian said March 1 could have been averted through the All-Armenian Catholicos. "On March 1 the Catholicos was to go and speak to people instead of meeting the two presidents.'
Chairman of the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs, Davit Harutiunian, criticized the Armenian police and Prosecutor's Office for inexperienced work, drawbacks and non-professionalism.
Coalition parties sounded pleased with the parliamentary commission laying the blame on the opposition.
poted on: http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2009/09/17/parliament
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
March 1 report presented in Armenian Parliament
Chairman of the NA Ad-Hoc Committee looking into the March 1-2 events, Samvel Nikoyan presented the Committee's report on the March 1 clashes in 90 minutes. The report mostly cited the speeches of Armenian first President Levon Ter-Petrosyan and other opposition figures, OSCE/ODIHR and Human Rights Defender's reports.
Samvel Nikoyan detailed all the facts and materials at hand in a half-empty hall. In Clause 6.2, the Committee concludes that if the state of emergency were declared after the first blasts and shots in Yerevan streets, the grave aftermaths could have been averted. The Committee finds that the presidential decree on the state emergency was belated. The conclusion is grounded for the fact that the mob gathered near the Yerevan City Hall gradually became uncontrollable and started plunder, arson burning hundreds of vehicles, breaking windows and robbing nearby shops and offices.
The Committee has come forth with proposals along with conclusions. To exclude repetition of March 1, the Committee suggests eliminating "Cheryomukha-7" special device. The Committee also suggests reviewing legal acts on police activities and use of force and conforming them to the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as to the UN basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law-enforcement agencies.
The most interesting is the fact that the Committee raises the importance of amending the RA Law on the Supervisory Chamber. The amendments will make the Chamber forward its findings to the Prosecutor's Office, which is "an effective way of combat against corruption and impunity."
Note that National Democratic Union (AZhM) representative Artavazd Vardanian and New Times Party (NZhK) Chairman Aram Karapetian didn't sign the report.
posted on: http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2009/09/16/committee
Samvel Nikoyan detailed all the facts and materials at hand in a half-empty hall. In Clause 6.2, the Committee concludes that if the state of emergency were declared after the first blasts and shots in Yerevan streets, the grave aftermaths could have been averted. The Committee finds that the presidential decree on the state emergency was belated. The conclusion is grounded for the fact that the mob gathered near the Yerevan City Hall gradually became uncontrollable and started plunder, arson burning hundreds of vehicles, breaking windows and robbing nearby shops and offices.
The Committee has come forth with proposals along with conclusions. To exclude repetition of March 1, the Committee suggests eliminating "Cheryomukha-7" special device. The Committee also suggests reviewing legal acts on police activities and use of force and conforming them to the European Convention on Human Rights, as well as to the UN basic principles on the use of force and firearms by law-enforcement agencies.
The most interesting is the fact that the Committee raises the importance of amending the RA Law on the Supervisory Chamber. The amendments will make the Chamber forward its findings to the Prosecutor's Office, which is "an effective way of combat against corruption and impunity."
Note that National Democratic Union (AZhM) representative Artavazd Vardanian and New Times Party (NZhK) Chairman Aram Karapetian didn't sign the report.
posted on: http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2009/09/16/committee
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
An evidence: a "March 1" victim's jacket
"Better to see once than read hundred times without understanding," Chairman of the NA AD-Hoc Committee looking into the March 1 events, Samvel Nikoyan announced today.
The jacket of police officer Tigran Abgaryan killed during the March 1 events was brought to the National Assembly today by the Special Investigation Service (SIS), upon the request of the Special Investigation Service.
The SIS informed journalists that it needs to investigate once more the expert's conclusion on Tigran Abgaryan's jacket. As noted by Nikoyan, the expert's conclusion was written in a complex language which they didn't understand, so they decided to "see it once more."
SIS investigator Bagrat Adamyan and expert Karen Abrahamyan opened the package and presented the jacket to the Committee, who wondered which parts of the jacket were damaged by the bullet.
SIS member Aram Karapetyan later informed A1+ that the examinations hardly give any response to the tragic events.
Remind that the National Assembly is due to come up with a final report on the March 1 unrest by September 15.
http://www.a1plus.am/en/politics/2009/09/7/tigran-abgaryan
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