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This is the first case in Armenia when a human rights defender is detained. It came as a warning sign that the Armenian authorities have now started to exert the pressure on human rights defenders after having clamped down on the political opposition and the critical media. On June 12 the members of the South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders protested against the unlawful and ill-grounded detention of Arshaluys Hakobyan in the Statement addressing the President of the Republic of Armenia Serj Sargsyan, Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia Gevorg Danielyan, Prosecution …

  The commencement of a criminal case instituted against Mariam Sukhudyan, one of the leaders of ecological movement is another vivid manifestation of policy of impatience towards the dissidence. We, the undersigned non-governmental organizations of Armenia which are members of South Caucasian Network of Human Rights Defenders demand the competent bodies to stop the criminal case instituted against Mariam Sukhudyan, demand the competent bodies to punish the ones who instituted the criminal case address the international organizations with a request to support our demands and exert pressure …

Now she is accused of Article 333, part 1, point 3 of the Criminal Code of Armenia (False Denunciation) which provides up to 5 years of imprisonment. On November 2008 Haylur program (National TV Station of Armenia) broadcast a video material about the morals of Nubarashen Special School No. 11, particularly about sexual harassments done by teacher Levon Avagyan toward children of the school. However, an accusation is brought against the video operator of that video material Mariam Sukhudyan. A day later Mariam and her friends were called to the Investigation Department of Erebuni district i…

Executive Summary

Urgent Appeal against Detention of Hakobyan

Remember, on July 01, 2009 T. Arakelyan underwent beatings in Abovian street while distributing flyers informing about the rally of the Armenian National Congress. T. Arakelyan was hit in the head with a pistol handle. And then he was taken to hospital of Nor Nork by ambulance together with two other beaten young activists.  

The Court decided to dismiss the appeal claim and leave the decision issued by the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Norq-Marash districts unchanged. Thought the reasons sounded by the investigator in the Court of First Instance and in the Appellate Court were groundless, however a regular groundless decision was made. Many ample grounds brought by the defense side were not taken into consideration