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THE COURT SENTENCED THE JOURNALIST TO 7 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT IN ARMENIA
Lragir.am
1/02/10
On 19 January, 2010 the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork
Marash districts of Yerevan, presided by the Judge M. Martirosyan
passed sentence on Nikol Pashinyan, editor-in-chief of "Haykakan
Zhamanak" daily and convicted him to 7 years of imprisonment.
After the presidential elections held on 19 February, 2008 N. Pashinyan
was among the activist members of nonviolent demonstrations and
rallies held by the opposition, which demanded the authorities to
abolish the results of faked elections. On 1 March, 2008 protest of
opposition and their supporters was suppressed as a result of provost
operations and with the assistance of band-formations using fire-arms
and special means. According to official information 10 persons died,
dozens of people received wounds of various degrees of seriousness,
hundreds of people were arrested. Later, more than 100 of them were
sentenced to different periods of imprisonment, and many of them were
released only after granting amnesty under the pressure form the side
of international community. Dozens of people were wanted by the police,
among them was N. Pashinyan.
On 1 July, 2009 after being underground for a year and four months, N.
Pashinyan yielded himself to the authorities. He was charged with part
1 of the Article 225 and part 1 of the Article 316 of the Criminal
Code of Armenia. His preventive punishment was chosen as detention.
Helsinki Association held monitoring of all trial sessions. Based on
it, the organization considers that serious violations took place at
trials. In particular: Equality of parties was not observed Arguments
of the prosecution side were not supported by proofs Lack of corpus
delicti
The Court ignored the resolutions of PACE, accordingly no one shall
be punished for any act of violence unless he/she committed violence
and prompted other to violence. The resolutions of PACE also call
upon the Armenian authorities to release those persons who yielded
themselves to authorities being wanted or underground.
Articles 2, 6, 7, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 27, 29 of the Constitution of
Armenia, Articles 8, 17, 23, 65, 90, 105, 106, 107, 124, 126, 127,
340 ofrticles ere violated towards nstitution of Armenia were violated
towards the Criminal Procedural Code of Armenia and Articles 6, 10,
11 of the European Convention on Human Rights were violated toward N.
Pashinyan.
Based on the above-mentioned we, the representatives of the South
Caucasus Network[1] of Human Rights Defenders consider that N.
Pashinyan was convicted just for his political convictions like other
supporters of the opposition. The members of the Network consider
it impermissible that the Armenian authorities continue their harsh
treatment against their political opponents.
The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders demands the
Armenian authorities to meet their obligations in the field of human
rights and fundamental freedoms undeviatingly, to release all political
prisoners, to punish those who are guilty both who issued the order
and who executed it during the carnage of March 1st, 2008.
The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders makes a request to
the international community to carry out the monitoring of obligations
assumed by the Armenian authorities and to exert pressure to them
with a demand to stop the harsh treatment toward the citizens who
struggle for democratic reforms.
[1] The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders unites 30
human rights NGOs in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Network
seeks to facilitate creation of a safer and enabling environment for
human rights defenders in the South Caucasus and to strengthen their
voices in the region and internationally.
Lragir.am
1/02/10
On 19 January, 2010 the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork
Marash districts of Yerevan, presided by the Judge M. Martirosyan
passed sentence on Nikol Pashinyan, editor-in-chief of "Haykakan
Zhamanak" daily and convicted him to 7 years of imprisonment.
After the presidential elections held on 19 February, 2008 N. Pashinyan
was among the activist members of nonviolent demonstrations and
rallies held by the opposition, which demanded the authorities to
abolish the results of faked elections. On 1 March, 2008 protest of
opposition and their supporters was suppressed as a result of provost
operations and with the assistance of band-formations using fire-arms
and special means. According to official information 10 persons died,
dozens of people received wounds of various degrees of seriousness,
hundreds of people were arrested. Later, more than 100 of them were
sentenced to different periods of imprisonment, and many of them were
released only after granting amnesty under the pressure form the side
of international community. Dozens of people were wanted by the police,
among them was N. Pashinyan.
On 1 July, 2009 after being underground for a year and four months, N.
Pashinyan yielded himself to the authorities. He was charged with part
1 of the Article 225 and part 1 of the Article 316 of the Criminal
Code of Armenia. His preventive punishment was chosen as detention.
Helsinki Association held monitoring of all trial sessions. Based on
it, the organization considers that serious violations took place at
trials. In particular: Equality of parties was not observed Arguments
of the prosecution side were not supported by proofs Lack of corpus
delicti
The Court ignored the resolutions of PACE, accordingly no one shall
be punished for any act of violence unless he/she committed violence
and prompted other to violence. The resolutions of PACE also call
upon the Armenian authorities to release those persons who yielded
themselves to authorities being wanted or underground.
Articles 2, 6, 7, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 27, 29 of the Constitution of
Armenia, Articles 8, 17, 23, 65, 90, 105, 106, 107, 124, 126, 127,
340 ofrticles ere violated towards nstitution of Armenia were violated
towards the Criminal Procedural Code of Armenia and Articles 6, 10,
11 of the European Convention on Human Rights were violated toward N.
Pashinyan.
Based on the above-mentioned we, the representatives of the South
Caucasus Network[1] of Human Rights Defenders consider that N.
Pashinyan was convicted just for his political convictions like other
supporters of the opposition. The members of the Network consider
it impermissible that the Armenian authorities continue their harsh
treatment against their political opponents.
The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders demands the
Armenian authorities to meet their obligations in the field of human
rights and fundamental freedoms undeviatingly, to release all political
prisoners, to punish those who are guilty both who issued the order
and who executed it during the carnage of March 1st, 2008.
The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders makes a request to
the international community to carry out the monitoring of obligations
assumed by the Armenian authorities and to exert pressure to them
with a demand to stop the harsh treatment toward the citizens who
struggle for democratic reforms.
[1] The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders unites 30
human rights NGOs in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Network
seeks to facilitate creation of a safer and enabling environment for
human rights defenders in the South Caucasus and to strengthen their
voices in the region and internationally.