New Charges Against Vahagn Chakhalyan

13:12 – 13.03.10

Javakhq-Armenian political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan is facing new
charges over a case filed in July 2005 for interfering with attempts
to `Georgianize’ an Armenian church in Samsar village in Javakhq,
Georgia. Some of these charges relate also to an Armenian rally near
the Jdanovakan-Bavra checkpoint on the Armenian-Georgian border that
took place in December 2005.

Chakhalyan and his lawyers were informed about these new charges on
March 11 by Spartak Khechoyan and Gevorg Kspeyan, interrogators from
the police stations of Akhalqalaq and Ninotsminda regions who visited
Chakhalyan in the Rustavi prison where he is serving his sentence.

The interrogators said they had filed the criminal case on the basis
of Prison-Political Notes, a brochure recently published by
Chakhalyan, saying they have revealed such evidence in it which allows
them to bring new charges against Chakhalyan in relation to a case
that was filed in 2005 sentencing him to 10 years of imprisonment.

Yerkir Union, a non-governmental organization, has released a
statement in relation to these new charges against Chakhalyan,
condemning the Georgian authorities `for launching this new wave of
political persecution against Vahagn Chakhalyan with the help of their
myrmidon Samvel Petrosyan, the Police Chief of Akhalqalaq.’

`It is obvious that this act against the Javakhq political activist is
only part of the whole circle to terrorize the Javakhq-Armenians prior
to the municipal elections to be held in Georgia on May 30.’

Tert.am

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress