DEPORTED ARMENIAN JOURNALIST LANDS IN MALTA
Kurt Farrugia & David Vella
Malta Star, Malta
April 13 2007
Gina and her family kept at the airport, awaiting flight to Moscow
The Armenian journalist who lived in England for five years as an
asylum seeker, was deported on Friday morning, and landed in Malta
with her family, where she will remain held at the airport until she
boards a plane to Armenia via Russia, early on Saturday morning.
Gina Khachatryan, 30, arrived in Malta on Thursday at 1505hrs on Air
Malta flight KM101, accompanied by four Maltese plain clothes police
officers. Gina had fled her homeland in September 2003, when her
family started facing threats and persecution for reporting a case
of corruption in the country’s elections. " On September 11, 2003,
Gina, her husband Vahan Boyakhchyan, and their baby daughter Elen,
landed in Malta, where they spent 10 days before flying to the UK to
seek asylum as political refugees.
But the British authorities never accepted the family’s asylum
application. In June 2006, Gina’s request was turned down by the UK’s
High Court, and a "removal order" was issued, sources close to the
British Home Office told maltastar.com on Friday. The original date
for the deportation was February 2007, but it was delayed to Friday
13 April.
Last Monday, police closed off the street where Gina lived in Salford,
and ordered her family to pack up in 30 minutes. She was then taken
to Yarl’s Wood detention centre in Bedford until she was taken to
Heathrow airport during the night between Thursday and Friday.
Maltese police to escort Gina to Russia
As she arrived in Malta, maltastar.com contacted Gina, who explained
that the Maltese police officers during the flight were very kind
to her family. "I don’t know exactly where they’re keeping us, but
now they’re taking us to eat", Gina said during a brief telephone
conversation. The Maltese authorities will accompany the Armenian
family to Moscow on an Air Malta flight that leaves Malta at 0200hrs
Saturday morning.
maltastar.com is informed that in the afternoon, a Maltese lawyer,
whose name is yet undisclosed, offered to help Gina and her family.
"The only way that Gina can avoid going back to her country is to
send an urgent appeal to the European Court of Human Rights. If Gina
accepts to nominate a lawyer to send such a request, the chances are
that her family will be stopping in Malta, at least until the European
Courts issue a definitive decision" sources told maltastar.com. Another
option is that Gina and her family apply for asylum in Malta. Yet, the
Office of the Commissioner of Refugees did not receive any application
from the family by late on Friday afternoon. Late on Friday evening,
this e-newspaper was informed that Gina decided to proceed on her
way to Armenia. Sources told this e-newspaper that she thanked all
those who helped her throughout the last days. "She never expected
to receive so much attention".
During the last 48 hours, a number of human rights groups in the
UK, and journalists’ associations in the UK and Malta, as well as
a number of Gina’s friends, were trying to find a way of stopping
the deportation. Professor Mike Jempsen, Director of the MediaWise
Trust, said that Gina is worried about what might happen if she is
returned to Armenia, where election campaigning has started again. "I
don’t know what might happen. I may not be killed, but I will end up
in prison definitely because I told another country about what is
happening in Armenia. I am afraid because they will be waiting for
me at the airport. The questioning will start right away. Why did I
run away? Why did I claim political asylum? I am scared for my child"
Gina told the organisation before she left the UK detention centre.
Maltese minister asked to intervene
maltastar.com journalists have been in constant contact with
representatives of British human rights groups, in order to try
and find ways to help the Armenian journalist. The Malta Office of
the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) was also
working on the case throughout the day. maltastar.com, which started
following Gina’s case on Thursday, also kept international journalists’
association Reporters Without Borders (RSF) posted.
In Malta, Karl Schembri, President of the Journalists’ Committee, wrote
to the Foreign Affairs Minister and the Prime Minister, asking them
to ensure that Gina’s family will not be persecuted once she returns
to Armenia. The Journalists’ Committee also informed the International
Federation of Journalists, and the Maltese Commissioner for Refugees.
"From our perspective, Ms. Khachatryan was given adequate opportunity
to present her asylum claims in a fair and effective manner in the
United Kingdom, including a reconsideration and high court review of
her case" said Dr Neil Falzon, Head of Office of the UNHCR Malta told
maltastar.com, "In all instances, Ms. Khachatryan’s asylum claims
were rejected and UNHCR has no reason to doubt these conclusions.
Whilst this means UNHCR will not get involved in her case, it does
not preclude her from attempting to access other legal channels".
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