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ARMENIA JAILS US BUSINESSMAN FOR PAEDOPHILIA
Emirates 24/7
http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/armenia-jails-us-businessman-for-paedophilia-2011-11-18-1.428905
Nov 18 2011
UAE
A US businessman of Armenian origin has been jailed for 15 years for
paedophilia, the state prosecutor's office said on Friday, in a case
that shocked the socially conservative Christian country.
The businessman, 70-year-old mining company owner Serop Der-Boghossian,
was convicted on Thursday of sexually assaulting teenage boys in the
northern Armenian industrial town of Akhtala, where his firm is the
main employer.
"The court found that Der-Boghossian, against the minors' wishes
and by exploiting their powerlessness, social vulnerability and
psychological state, was involved in homosexual activity and acts of
a sexual nature (with the boys)," a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's
office, Sona Truzian, told AFP.
The case against the businessman, who was also an adviser to Armenia's
prime minister until the paedophilia allegations were publicised by
local media, caused a nationwide scandal.
It led to accusations that the authorities were failing to properly
combat paedophilia because of light sentences handed down in many
abuse cases, with one prosecutor raising fears that Armenia risked
becoming a hub for international child sex tourism unless punishments
were toughened.
The prosecutor's office said that the 10 teenagers that Der-Boghossian
was convicted of abusing came from poor families and the businessman
gained influence over them by giving them money.
In court, Der-Boghossian admitted having sex with the boys but said
that they had consented, the prosecutor's office said.
Child protection experts in Armenia believe that many cases of
paedophilia go unprosecuted because parents are often reluctant to
report sex crimes against children.
Emirates 24/7
http://www.emirates247.com/news/world/armenia-jails-us-businessman-for-paedophilia-2011-11-18-1.428905
Nov 18 2011
UAE
A US businessman of Armenian origin has been jailed for 15 years for
paedophilia, the state prosecutor's office said on Friday, in a case
that shocked the socially conservative Christian country.
The businessman, 70-year-old mining company owner Serop Der-Boghossian,
was convicted on Thursday of sexually assaulting teenage boys in the
northern Armenian industrial town of Akhtala, where his firm is the
main employer.
"The court found that Der-Boghossian, against the minors' wishes
and by exploiting their powerlessness, social vulnerability and
psychological state, was involved in homosexual activity and acts of
a sexual nature (with the boys)," a spokeswoman for the prosecutor's
office, Sona Truzian, told AFP.
The case against the businessman, who was also an adviser to Armenia's
prime minister until the paedophilia allegations were publicised by
local media, caused a nationwide scandal.
It led to accusations that the authorities were failing to properly
combat paedophilia because of light sentences handed down in many
abuse cases, with one prosecutor raising fears that Armenia risked
becoming a hub for international child sex tourism unless punishments
were toughened.
The prosecutor's office said that the 10 teenagers that Der-Boghossian
was convicted of abusing came from poor families and the businessman
gained influence over them by giving them money.
In court, Der-Boghossian admitted having sex with the boys but said
that they had consented, the prosecutor's office said.
Child protection experts in Armenia believe that many cases of
paedophilia go unprosecuted because parents are often reluctant to
report sex crimes against children.