"YERKIR" UNION OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR REPATRIATION AND
SETTLEMENT
Press-release
Contact: Robert Tatoyan
Mobile: +(374 94) 36 17 93
E-mail: rob@yerkir.org
August 18, 2009
Yerevan, Armenia
THE GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES FORBID THE ARMENIAN LAWYER STEPAN VOSKANYAN TO
VISIT HIS CLIENT, JAVAKHETI ARMENIAN POLITICAL ACTIVIST VAHAGN CHAKHALYAN
On August 17, 2009 Stepan Voskanyan, the Armenian lawyer of the Javakheti
Armenian political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan, attempted to visit his
client, who is presently detained in the penal colony number 2 in Rustavi.
However, the administration of the establishment refused to allow the
meeting of the lawyer and his client, under the pretext that the documents
by which the Armenian lawyer previously had the right to meet with Vahagn
Chahalyan are no longer valid.
On the same day, Stepan Voskanyan turned to the office of the Public
Defender of Georgia, whose officers, having examined the documents submitted
by the lawyer, considered the decision of the administration of the colony
as completely groundless.
Stepan Voskanyan also submitted a written complaint on prohibition of the
meeting with his client addressed to Ombudsman Sozar Subari and the
administration of Rustavi colony.
"Yerkir" Union considers the decision deny Vahagn Chahalyan the right to
meet his lawyer as a next shameful violation of human rights of the
Javakheti political activist, aimed at preventing the proper preparation for
the trial hearings of the Chakhalyan case that will be resumed on September
18 of this year. By this step the Georgian authorities also seek to restrict
significantly Vahagn Chahalyan’s access to information from the Armenian
mass-media, which was provided to him by his Armenian lawyer during his
visits.
Taking into account the above-stated situation, the <Yerkir> Union calls on
the Public Defender of Georgia Sozar Subari, the international human rights
organizations, accredited in Georgia, the international organizations and
diplomatic missions to provide a proper assessment of this flagrant
violation by the Georgian authorities of the rights of the Javakheti
political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan, as well as to eliminate the
consequences of this step by ensuring in the future that the defendant has
an unimpeded access of to his lawyer.