CCAF CALLS UPON GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES TO STOP THE UNFAIR TRIAL AND RESTORE THE RIGHTS OF CHAKHALYAN

PanARMENIAN.Net
17.10.2009 12:48 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations
of France (CCAF) has authorized the lawyer, expert for the Office
of Legal Affairs, Council of Europe Philip Kalfayan to attend as an
observer the trial of appeal of Vahagn Chakhalyan the leader of the
Unified Javakhk Democratic Union political movement in Tbilisi.

The Armenian translation of the hearing was incomplete, that prevents
the accused and his Armenian lawyer to participate fully in the
debates. Fairness of debates is openly and flagrantly violated,
that is a violation of the Article 6 of the European Convention on
Human Rights.

The fact that the first instance court refused the accused and his
lawyers to call and interview new witnesses, is a apparent violation
of the European Convention on Human Rights, and a violation of the
Georgia’s Constitution.

Coordinating Council of Armenian Organizations of France questioned
the motives of the Georgian authorities, which openly and deliberately
violate the right of Vahagn Chakhalyan to a fair trial and flagrantly
violates their international obligations.

CCAF encourages the Georgian authorities to stop the unfair trial and
restore all rights of Vahagn Chakhalyan, to abolish unconstitutional
ban on protection of Georgian citizens by foreign lawyers, to respect
the legal obligations of Georgia, including the International Covenant
on Civil and Political Rights, the UN and the European Convention on
Human Rights, " CCAF statement said.