ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION TO BE INITIATED ON MARIAM SUKHUDYAN CASE

/PanARMENIAN.Net/
16.11.2009 19:02 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Additional investigation will be initiated on
"S.O.S Teghut" movement activist Mariam Sukhudyan’s case. Investigator
Vigen Mesropyan, responsible for case-related investigative actions,
was put in charge of additional investigation. As lawyer Nona
Galstyan reported, this was the first time in the whole preliminary
investigation period when law enforcement agencies granted
defense-submitted petitions.

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. On October 21, the court overturned the previous
decree, once again changing the accusation to libel, Ecolur press
service reported.