YERKIR UNION
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Robert Tatoyan:
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E-mail: rob@yerkir.org

PRESS-RELEASE
18 August 2009

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the right to meet with Vahagn Chahalyan are no longer valid.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.