‘YERKIR’ UNION: GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES DO NOT RESTRAIN EVEN THE MOST FLAGRANT VIOLATIONS, AND CONTINUE TO CARRY OUT THE PERSECUTION OF JAVAKHETI ARMENIAN POLITICAL ACTIVIST

ArmInfo
2009-03-18 14:12:00

ArmInfo. On March 11-12, 2009 the Akhaltsikhe District Court held the
hearing of the case of the Javakheti political activist, the leader
of the "United Javakhk – Democratic Alliance" political movement-
Vahagn Chakhalyan, his father- Ruben Chakhalyan and younger brother-
Armen Chakhalyan.

As Union reported, the Observers of the "Yerkir" Union have recorded a
number of violations. In particular, Forty-one days have passed since
the last court hearing of the Chakhalyan’s case was held on January
29. After that the court assigned the day for the hearing two times:
first – for the 11th and then -for the 26th of February. However, the
hearing never took place, because the Georgian authorities failed to
transfer Vahagn Chakhalyan from Tbilisi to Ahaltskha, due to lack of
fuel, according to the official explanation. ‘Court hearings were still
held in the absence of Patrick Arapian, Chakhalyan’s French lawyer,
who was denied registration by the Ministry of Justice on February
16. The Public Defender of Georgia – Sozar Subari in his letter
to the Minister of Justice Z. Adeishvili assessed this decision as
"unreasonable". He further recommended restoring the violated rights
of the Chakhalyans by allowing the participation of the French lawyer
in the lawsuit. The Chakhalyans’ Armenian lawyer – Stepan Voskanyan
currently has an ambivalent status. On March 6, when he tried to visit
his client, Vahagn Chakhalyan, who is kept in pre-trial prison No 5
in Tbilisi, the employees of the institution informed him that the
decision of the Ministry of Justice on his appointment as Chakhalyan’s
lawyer is no longer valid, and tried to prevent him from meeting his
client. At the beginning of the trial held on March 11 the advocate
Voskanyan raised the question of his status, but the judge refused
in all possible ways to respond to his question, arguing that the
Court recognizes Voskanian as Chakhalyans’ lawyer, and the question
of recognition or rejection of his status by other agencies is not
within the scope of competence of the Court. The translation of the
court hearings continues to be implemented extremely inaccurately, with
omissions and interruptions. The Court once again paid no attention to
the complaints of the Chakhalyans and their Armenian lawyer, as well
as to their suggestion to suspend the trial in order to ensure a more
acceptable translation. At the court hearings on the 11th and 12th
of March, 16 witnesses were interrogated. All of them used to be or
still are the employees of the local law-enforcement structures. After
questioning all the witnesses present the court postponed the hearing
till the 25th of March’, ‘Yerkir’ Union reported. ‘The abovementioned
facts once again demonstrate that the Georgian authorities do not
restrain even the most flagrant violations, and continue to carry
out the persecution of Javakheti Armenian political activist.

The "Yerkir" Union calls on the international institutions and
human rights organizations, urging them to consider the recorded
violations and exercise pressure on the Georgian authorities with
the aim of cutting short the shameful trial of the Chakhalyans family
and releasing the Javakheti Armenian political activist from prison’,
the message says.
From: Baghdasarian