News Archive

T Armenian members of the Network Artak Zeynalyan from “Jurists against torture”, Melissa Brown of “Shakhatun” NGO and Mikael Danielyan, Chairman of the “Helsinki Assocation of Human Rights”, the coordinating organisation of the Network in Armenia, participated in the action.

   During the presentation, the report was presented in 2 volumes. The report focused primarily on freedom of speech and mass media, peaceful assembly, human rights defenders, as well as torture and ill-treatment, freedom of religion and of conscientious objection. The chairman of Helsinki Association, Mikael Danielyan, spoke about the case of Vahan Khalafyan and the results of monitoring activities undertaken by the Helsinki Association at trials, prisons and mental hospitals in Armenia were also presented. Local organisations, the representative of the US Embassy in Armenia and …

                  April 26th 2011 marked the first screening of a new documentary film ‘Armenia’s Lost Spring’, which was shot by director Ara Shirimyan and written by Tigran Paskevichyan. The film has two parts and is dedicated to the events of 1st March 2008. Part One covers the period of September 2007-March 2008 and depicts the pre-election, election and post-election developments and incidents which took place. Part Two addresses the events of 1st March 2008 and analyses why the true version of events has never been made public. The film ha…

During the trial Varduhie Elbakyan, lawyer of Suren Sirunyan filed a petition of resignation to the presiding judge claiming that during the trial of 19.12.2008 the judge made a statement to the defense side which says that they are going to work on 23.12.2008, 24.12.2008 and 25.12.2008, in case when the petition submitted by Hovik Arsenyan has not been discussed yet, and the court has not made any decision. In addition to this the judge applied an extremely severe sanction against the defendants, rejected any petition filed by the defense side, restricted the proper work of representative…

About defendant Myasnik Malkhasyan To separate the criminal case stemming from Article 225, part 1 and Articles 38-316, part 2 of the Armenian Criminal Code and to transfer the case to the Court of First Instance of Yerevan’s Kentron and Nork-Marash districts. To leave the preventive punishment on detention unchanged. To separate materials about him from the criminal case. About defendant Sasun Mikaelyan To separate the criminal case stemming from Article 225, part 1 and Article 235, parts 1-2 of the Armenian Criminal Code and transfer the case to the Court of First Instance of Kotayk’s re…

And finally are these people called intelligentsia, people of conscience and ideas. The nation is unhappy if its intelligentsia is the enemy of free speech and high ideals. If the function of the prosecutors is to accuse people, for which they get payment, so you assumed a role of free prosecutors. I apply to those young men for who value the idea of freedom. I apply to those who struggle for a citizen’s freedom to conduct an action of protest against the materialist intelligentsia. I call out to collect all books of those writers and to throw them the garbage cans of Yerevan. It will be an…

The second statement concerns the visit of a doctor of psychiatric department of prison issued on March 7, 2008. Shant Harutyunyan behaved himself aggressively and sounded swear-words, as well as he rejected any medical interference. Taking into consideration that it was impossible to subject Shant Harutyunyan to medical examination at that moment, as well as taking into consideration that his aggressive behaviour can be a result of mental disorder, the latter was isolated. He is under a twenty-four-hour control.

The Court also stated that according to Article 310, part 2 of the Criminal Procedure Code of RA the defendant is denied the right to participate in trail if there is a ground that he/she suffers from a mental or other serious illness. Therefore, the Court decided to discontinue the proceedings against Shant Harutyunyan till his health condition recovers, and to continue the proceedings of the remaining six defendants. According to the above mentioned decision the Court addressed the examiners the following questions: 1. Whether Shant Harutyunyan has suffered or suffers from any mental …

From left to right, second row. Suren Sirunyan – RA CC 225/1, 300/1 Shant Harutyunyan – RA CC 225/3, 300/1 Myasnik Malkhasyan – RA CC 225/3, 316/2 Aleksandr Arzoumanyan – RA CC 225/3, 300/1 Sasun Mikaelyan – RA CC 225/3, 300/1, 235/1 Hakob Hakobyan – RA CC 235/1, 300/1 Grigor Voskerchyan – RA CC 225/1, 300/1