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ARMENIAN GOVERNMENT AND TRAFFICKING
http://massispost.com/?p=2502
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/politics21262.html
Published: 12:08:12 - 07/04/2011
Wikileaks Cables: On 'Government-Run Sex Trafficking' In Armenia;
Contradictions of Armenian General Prosecutor's Office
On April 1st, 2010, WikiLeaks Central reports that the Armenian General
Prosecutor's Office has been contradicted by WikiLeaks cables on
'government-run sex trafficking' in Armenia. The following is the
Wikileaks Central report:
Cables on sex trafficking in Armenia reveal frank contempt toward
victims and contradictory statements from the law enforcement officials
on collusion in sex trafficking. The Republic of Armenia General
Prosecutor's Office released an explanation on 14th February 2011 on
the corruption allegation mentioned in a cable. The explanation in
the official press release is contradicted by information on reports
of Armenian investigative journalists and TIP reports published by
the U.S. Department of State.
Concerning the information given to the US diplomats by the prostitutes
that the employee of the RA General Prosecutor's Office A.
Yeremyan committed violations, it is informed that at that time the RA
Prosecutor General tasked to conduct investigation, a interdepartmental
committee was formed and all the appeals were checked which were not
confirmed based on the conclusions of the interdepartmental committee
and the results of the investigation.
The 'violations' mentioned above are mentioned in the cable
06YEREVAN1091, which was written in 2006. This assertion about the
'investigation' against complicity of an official A.Yeremyan has been
proven to be false ever since 2006, the year the incident occurred,
mainly by the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) published annually
by the U.S. Department of State. The following are evidences that the
General Prosecutor's Office did nothing meaningful on the allegation
in 2006 until this day:
Although there were no new reports of government officials' complicity
in trafficking over the last year, the government demonstrated only
modest progress in the reopened investigation of a well-documented
2006 corruption case.
The US embassy has known that Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan
and his investigators are guilty: "Basic facts are accurate"
In 06YEREVAN1091, the cable mentioned in the official press release
from the Office in February, ambassador Evans vividly describes
the culture of immunity and rampant power abuse in the prosecution
of Armenia. Two victims of sex trafficking, Madoyan and Lazarian
accused two investigators under Hovsepyan, Aristakes Yeremyan and Armen
Gasparyan, for threatening them to testify false statements favorable
to their trafficker that she owe less money to the victims. Madoyan
claimed that Yeremyan punched her in the face in 31st June, 2006
and 'accused them of blackmailing the trafficker' by filing police
statements. The ambassador points out the clear contempt and negligence
overtly shown in the investigation process.
When the ambassador pushed this case further to the prosecutor
general Hovsepyan, he answered with the Armenian saying, "May God
keep us from the evil that comes from prostitutes." Hovsepyan talked
about the victims with an amazingly frank contempt, saying that such
cases are common and most of them are ill-intentioned conspiracy of
prostitutes unsatisfied with the money their pimp gives. He adamantly
praised Yeremyan and tried hard to avoid serious investigation toward
the alleged violence and threatening done by Yeremyan and Gasparyan.
The ambassador wrote in a comment that although details in the
allegation reported by the victims are 'open to some questions',
they are 'persuaded, however, that the basic facts of the case are
accurate.' He noted that 'Hovsepyan's performance was in character
and betrayed the Prosecutor General's apparent personal attitude
toward trafficking victims and cases.'
The governmental authority takes a significant part in sex trafficking
ring of Armenia; without it, the 'industry' cannot endure
The real picture of aid granted by the authorities is in fact a major
factor that retains the current sex trafficking network. A great
deal of evidence in the works of investigative journalists strongly
indicate that the scale and level of sophistication regarding the
sex trafficking in Armenia is impossible without active help from
law enforcement personnel. A series of reports mainly from Armenian
investigative journalist Edik Baghdasaryan, who received 'Defender of
Armenia Freedom Award' from the U.S. ambassador in 2009 for his works,
show how the cooperation of high-ranking officials in the prosecution
turned out to be a crucial help for pimps and traffickers.
One of the most notorious cases is the escape of infamous pimp Anush
Zakharyants from prison. Baghdasaryan's report on the incident reveals
how the high-ranking members of Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor's
Office, and National Security Service worked jointly to forge legal
documents, delete criminal records, and release Zakharyants. This
incident is also mentioned as the latter of the two 'notable cases'
reported in 2007 TIP Report, which shows no progress in further
investigation or prosecution effort:
From: A. Papazian
http://massispost.com/?p=2502
Story from Lragir.am News:
http://www.lragir.am/engsrc/politics21262.html
Published: 12:08:12 - 07/04/2011
Wikileaks Cables: On 'Government-Run Sex Trafficking' In Armenia;
Contradictions of Armenian General Prosecutor's Office
On April 1st, 2010, WikiLeaks Central reports that the Armenian General
Prosecutor's Office has been contradicted by WikiLeaks cables on
'government-run sex trafficking' in Armenia. The following is the
Wikileaks Central report:
Cables on sex trafficking in Armenia reveal frank contempt toward
victims and contradictory statements from the law enforcement officials
on collusion in sex trafficking. The Republic of Armenia General
Prosecutor's Office released an explanation on 14th February 2011 on
the corruption allegation mentioned in a cable. The explanation in
the official press release is contradicted by information on reports
of Armenian investigative journalists and TIP reports published by
the U.S. Department of State.
Concerning the information given to the US diplomats by the prostitutes
that the employee of the RA General Prosecutor's Office A.
Yeremyan committed violations, it is informed that at that time the RA
Prosecutor General tasked to conduct investigation, a interdepartmental
committee was formed and all the appeals were checked which were not
confirmed based on the conclusions of the interdepartmental committee
and the results of the investigation.
The 'violations' mentioned above are mentioned in the cable
06YEREVAN1091, which was written in 2006. This assertion about the
'investigation' against complicity of an official A.Yeremyan has been
proven to be false ever since 2006, the year the incident occurred,
mainly by the Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP) published annually
by the U.S. Department of State. The following are evidences that the
General Prosecutor's Office did nothing meaningful on the allegation
in 2006 until this day:
Although there were no new reports of government officials' complicity
in trafficking over the last year, the government demonstrated only
modest progress in the reopened investigation of a well-documented
2006 corruption case.
The US embassy has known that Prosecutor General Aghvan Hovsepyan
and his investigators are guilty: "Basic facts are accurate"
In 06YEREVAN1091, the cable mentioned in the official press release
from the Office in February, ambassador Evans vividly describes
the culture of immunity and rampant power abuse in the prosecution
of Armenia. Two victims of sex trafficking, Madoyan and Lazarian
accused two investigators under Hovsepyan, Aristakes Yeremyan and Armen
Gasparyan, for threatening them to testify false statements favorable
to their trafficker that she owe less money to the victims. Madoyan
claimed that Yeremyan punched her in the face in 31st June, 2006
and 'accused them of blackmailing the trafficker' by filing police
statements. The ambassador points out the clear contempt and negligence
overtly shown in the investigation process.
When the ambassador pushed this case further to the prosecutor
general Hovsepyan, he answered with the Armenian saying, "May God
keep us from the evil that comes from prostitutes." Hovsepyan talked
about the victims with an amazingly frank contempt, saying that such
cases are common and most of them are ill-intentioned conspiracy of
prostitutes unsatisfied with the money their pimp gives. He adamantly
praised Yeremyan and tried hard to avoid serious investigation toward
the alleged violence and threatening done by Yeremyan and Gasparyan.
The ambassador wrote in a comment that although details in the
allegation reported by the victims are 'open to some questions',
they are 'persuaded, however, that the basic facts of the case are
accurate.' He noted that 'Hovsepyan's performance was in character
and betrayed the Prosecutor General's apparent personal attitude
toward trafficking victims and cases.'
The governmental authority takes a significant part in sex trafficking
ring of Armenia; without it, the 'industry' cannot endure
The real picture of aid granted by the authorities is in fact a major
factor that retains the current sex trafficking network. A great
deal of evidence in the works of investigative journalists strongly
indicate that the scale and level of sophistication regarding the
sex trafficking in Armenia is impossible without active help from
law enforcement personnel. A series of reports mainly from Armenian
investigative journalist Edik Baghdasaryan, who received 'Defender of
Armenia Freedom Award' from the U.S. ambassador in 2009 for his works,
show how the cooperation of high-ranking officials in the prosecution
turned out to be a crucial help for pimps and traffickers.
One of the most notorious cases is the escape of infamous pimp Anush
Zakharyants from prison. Baghdasaryan's report on the incident reveals
how the high-ranking members of Ministry of Justice, the Prosecutor's
Office, and National Security Service worked jointly to forge legal
documents, delete criminal records, and release Zakharyants. This
incident is also mentioned as the latter of the two 'notable cases'
reported in 2007 TIP Report, which shows no progress in further
investigation or prosecution effort:
From: A. Papazian