CHARGES AGAINST SUKHUDYAN HAVE NO SERIOUS GROUNDS, HER LAWYER FINDS
/PanARMENIAN.Net/
24.08.2009 16:26 GMT+04:00
/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Proponents of "S.O.S Teghut" movement’s activists
Mariam Sukhudyan have organized a protest against the recently filed
criminal case; they find the charges biased and unfair, lawyer Nona
Galstyan told today a joint news conference with Yelena Nazaryan and
Syuzan Simonyan, authors of the TV report on violence by an Armenian
language teacher against children in special school No. 11.
Sukhudyan’s lawyer brought several arguments to prove the accusation
being artificial and false. First of all, journalist Syuzan Simonyan
prepared two reports for Public Television, in which school-girls
told similar stories about violence against them. There is only one
video material attached to the case – the record prepared by Mariam
Sukhudyan.
"Mariam was first reluctant to give me the material as she was
concerned about the schoolgirl, considering Armenian national
stereotype about girls subjected to sexual violence," journalist
Syuzan Sionyan said, noting that her report about the other girl was
not mentioned in criminal case.
In their accusations, law enforcement agencies state that Mariam
Sukhudyan coerced the girl into giving false evidence. However, as
mentioned by Sukhudyan’s colleagues and "Hetq" newspaper’s journalist
Lena Nazaryan, they had just prepared a video record of the story
told by the agrrieved girl.
Touching upon law enforcement agencies’ gross violations, lawyer
Nona Galstyan said the criminal case had been filed within nine days
after the broadcast, whereas law envisages a period of three month for
launching such proceedings. "That too, is an unquestionable evidence
that law enforcement agencies attempt to conceal what happened at
school, accusing Mariam Sukhudyan of libel."
The lawyer also denied accusations that her defendant was allegedly
guided by personal interests. She worked as project coordinator in
school No. 11, within the frames of "Top 10 schools" program funded
by UN Office in Armenia.
"Mariam herself proposed the idea of involving the school in the
project, but it was actually the school principal that asked her
to manage program implementation process. Furthermore, project
participants said sums were transferred to the school’s account, with
principal bearing direct responsibility for their realization. The
matter went so far that project participants had to cover costs on
their own and then submit cheques to principal to get their money
back."
"Mariam had nothing to do with the financial means allocated for
project implementation, hence she could not have pursued personal
interests," her lawyer stated.
Criminal case was filed after the November 13, 2008 regular broadcast
of Haylur on Public TV channel. There, a school-girl from Nubarashen
boarding school No. 11 complained about being sexually harassed by
a teacher, "Ecolur" NGO says in a press release. Sukhudyan herself
finds she is being persecuted for participating in "SOS-Teghut"
function aimed the protection of Teghut forest.
Initially, Sukhudyan was accused of libel (Section 1, Article 135 of
RA Criminal Code). However, on August 15, Erebuni Police Office’s
Investigative Department replaced Article, accusing the defendant
of providing false information accompanied by artificial creation of
evidence. The article envisages graver punishment, i.e. imprisonment
for up to 5 years.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress