YERKIR CALLS FOR EXERTING PRESSURE UPON GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES TO STOP ARMENIANS’ PERSECUTIONS IN JAVAKHK
Noyan Tapan
Feb 2, 2009
YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 2, NOYAN TAPAN. "International community’s
indifference to the processes going on in Samtskhe-Javakhk today
practically privilege the Georgian authorities to further strengthen
persecutions towards the Armenian population and thus deepen the
atmosphere of fear and indignation, which is fraught with unpredictable
destabilization consequences," the Yerkir union of NGOs engaged in
issues of repatriation and settling down mentioned in its January
31 statement.
The statement touched upon the trial on the case of Javakhk Armenian
political activist, United Javakhk People’s Alliance political
movement’s leader Vahagn Chakhalian that was resumed on January 28
after almost two months’ interval. Yerkir union’s observers, who
were present at the January 28 and 29 court sittings, recorded the
following facts:
"At the court hall Vahagn Chakhalian stated he was going on hunger
strike as a token of protest against arrest of Armenian public figures
of Akhaltskha Grigor Minasian and Sargis Hakobjanian by the Georgian
authorities.
As neither defendants Vahagn Chakhalian, his father and brother nor
his lawyer Stepan Voskanian master Georgian, the court had provided an
interpreter to them. However, the interpretation was done in a careless
way, with omissions and interruptions. The judge also hindered the
interpretation by often not making necessary interruptions in his
speech for the interpretation.
According to Georgia’s legislation, it is not permitted to video,
to record or to take photos at a court hall. While hearings’ videoing
or recording would permit to insure against court sittings protocols’
possible forging.
The court sittings took place under conditions of Chakhalians’
French lawyer Patrick Arapian’s absence. The Georgian authorities
artificially drag out his registration, though proper documents had
been introduced to the Georgian Justice Ministry for that purpose as
far back as on January 13.
At the January 28 court sitting it was found out that the respective
bills of indictments of accusations brought to Vahagn Chakhalian in
Armenian translation had not been given to him. However, the judge did
not interrupt the sitting promising to give him the bill of indictment
in Armenian translation in the future.
The judge rejected lawyers’ petition to subject to a traceological
expertise the arms allegedly found in Chakhalians’ place and in the
building of the Javakhk Youth Sports and Cultural Union, with the
motivation that 6 months passed since the arms was found and the
finger-prints had been already cleaned. The lawyer’s objection that
the Police should have done a traceological expertice immediately,
which was not done and that the defence side had introduced the
expertise petition as early as three months ago remained unanswered.
Vahagn Chakhalian made a political statement at the January 28
sitting. The judge for many times interrupted Vahagn Chakhalian
reading his statement saying that it does not concern the case.
No witness was present at the January 28 court sitting: only some of
them had sent a note to the court that they insist on their preliminary
investigation testimony and do not wish to appear before the court. The
judge wanted to immediately start defendants’ interrogation and only
after defence side’s persistent objection gave in and delayed the
sitting for a day.
Only 2 witnesses and 2 aggrieved came to the January 29 sitting. The
circumstances of organization of the mass action of protest held by
the Armenian population on March 11, 2006 in the town of Akhalkalak
were examined. Its organization is one of the accusations brought to
Vahagn Chakhalian.
After the interrogation of the aggrieved and witnesses, who had come
to the court, the judge interrupted the trial until February 11.
The facts recorded during the January 28 and 29 hearings and in
particular, dragging out the registration of French lawyer Patrick
Arapian, not making a traceological expertise of the arms "found" in
Chakhalian’s place and in the Javakhk Youth Sports and Cultural Union
office, and rejection of defence side’s petition to do it, witnesses’
not appearing before the court, and judge’s attempt to continue the
trial under their absence once more prove that the things going on
in the court hall have nothing in common with administering justice,
but are a legal ratification of Georgian authorities’ political order."
Applying to proper international structures and human rights
organizations, the Yerkir union calls them for following the trial
over the Javakhk Armenian political fugure and his family through
observers, recognizing political prisoners Vahagn Chakhalian, as
well as people being criminally prosecuted on cases concerned with
it, exerting pressure upon the Georgian authorities to stop already
permanent and systematized persecutions to Armenians compactly living
in Samtskhe-Javakhk, and to release all Javakhk Armenian political
prisoners.