PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIA: Deep concern over ill-treatments against a human rights
defender
while in arbitrary detention
Paris-Geneva-Yerevan, June 12, 2009. The Observatory for the
Protection of Human Rights Defenders, a joint programme of the World
Organisation Against Torture (OMCT) and the International Federation
of Human Rights (FIDH), along with the Civil Society Institute, the
Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor Office, the Helsinki Committee of
Armenia, the Collaboration for Democracy Centre, Transparency
International, the Anti-Corruption Centre and the Foundation Against
Violation of Law, express their deep concern about the ill-treatments
against human rights defender Arshaluys Hakobyan while arbitrarily
detained since June 5, 2009.
On May 31, 2009, Mr. Arshaluys Hakobyan a member of the Armenian
Helsinki Association and press photographer of the official website of
the organisation (), had monitored the elections for the
Mayor of Yerevan together with a group of observers. In their
capacities as observers representing the Helsinki Association,
Mr. Hakobyan and the group visited polling station N° 8/23 in
Malatia-Sebastia district, Yerevan. The members and head of the
electoral commission blocked their way preventing them from carrying
out the monitoring process. The group was eventually taken outside the
polling station and the doors were locked. The observers were
subsequently threatened with corporal punishment.
Following the aforementioned incidents, Mr. Hakobyan filed a complaint
with the Special Investigation Department. On June 5, 2009, he was
summoned by the Investigation Department to give
testimonies. Nevertheless, he refused going there and stated that he
would only go to the Investigation Department provided they would hand
over an official summons. Later on, two police officers went to
Mr. Hakobyan’s with a `summons’, which nevertheless contained no
information about the criminal case or the reason as to why he was
being summoned.
Mr. Hakobyan refused to sign the paper alleging it was not valid.
However, after pressuring him, the police officers eventually forced
him to sign. Mr. Hakobyan, who was not wearing his contact lenses at
that time, signed in the wrong place, which made the police officers
angry. In spite of asking the police officers to leave, the officers
asked for police reinforcement, and took him to the Police Department
of Kentron District, in Yerevan, where he underwent beatings and other
ill-treatments. He was handcuffed and then taken to the Investigation
Department of Kentron District, where he was denied access to a
lawyer. He was subsequently charged with `violence against a
Government representative’, under Article 316 part 1 of the Armenian
Criminal Code. Following questioning, he was taken to a pre-detention
cell. As of issuing this press release, Mr. Hakobyan remains detained
in the Nubarashen penitentiary institution.
On June 6, 2009, the Court of First Instance for Kentron and
Nork-Marash districts confirmed Mr. Hakobyan’s arrest as a preventive
punishment. The date of his trial is still not known as the
investigation is ongoing.
Mr. Hakobyan has currently the possibility to have contacts with his
family and was granted access to a lawyer. On June 11, 2009, members
of the `prison monitoring group’, composed of various representatives
of civil society, visited Mr. Hakobyan in the Nubarashen penitentiary
institution, and reported numerous injuries on different parts of his
body (legs, hands, back and head). Such injuries were reportedly
registered in a medical folder upon his arrival in this penitentiary
institution.
Our organisations express their deep concern about Mr. Arshaluys
Hakobyan’s arbitrary arrest and firmly condemn the above-mentioned
acts of ill-treatment against him, which seem to merely aim at
sanctioning his human rights activities, and call upon the Armenian
authorities to guarantee in all circumstances his physical and
psychological integrity, in conformity with the 1998
< nders/docs/declaration/declaration
.pdf> United Nations Declaration on Human Rights Defenders, with the
Declaration
< p?Ref=3DCM(2008)5&Language=3DlanEnglish&Ve r=3Dadd&S
ite=3DCM&BackColorInternet=3D999 9CC&BackColorIntranet=3DFFBB55&BackColorLo gged=3DFFA
C75> of the Committee of Ministers on Council of Europe action to
improve the protection of human rights defenders and promote their
activities, and with the 2007 Resolution of the OSCE Parliamentary
Assembly on Strengthening OSCE Engagement with Human Rights Defenders
and National Human Rights Institutions.
Our organisations further urge the Armenian authorities to release Mr.
Hakobyan immediately and unconditionally. to order a thorough,
immediate, effective and impartial investigation into the
above-mentioned facts, the result of which must be made public, in
order to identify all those responsible, bring them before a
competent, independent and impartial tribunal and apply to them the
sanctions provided by the law and, more generally, to put an end to
all acts of harassment against all human rights defenders in Armenia.
Our organisations also call upon the Commissioner for Human Rights of
the CoE to act in accordance with operative paragraph 4 of the CoE
Declaration on Human Rights Defenders with regards to this
situation. We further urge the European Commission Delegation as well
as European Union (EU) Member-States embassies in Armenia to call upon
Armenian authorities to comply with the relevant international norms
and standards and take action on the above-mentioned human rights
violations, in line with the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders.
For further information, please contact:
* FIDH : Karine Appy, + 33 1 43 55 25 18
* OMCT : Delphine Reculeau, + 41 22 809 49 39
* Civil Society Institute : +374 10 574317