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The Court Sentenced The Journalist To 7 Years Of Imprisonment In Arm

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  • The Court Sentenced The Journalist To 7 Years Of Imprisonment In Arm

    THE COURT SENTENCED THE JOURNALIST TO 7 YEARS OF IMPRISONMENT IN ARMENIA

    Lragir.am
    1/02/10

    On 19 January, 2010 the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork
    Marash districts of Yerevan, presided by the Judge M. Martirosyan
    passed sentence on Nikol Pashinyan, editor-in-chief of "Haykakan
    Zhamanak" daily and convicted him to 7 years of imprisonment.

    After the presidential elections held on 19 February, 2008 N. Pashinyan
    was among the activist members of nonviolent demonstrations and
    rallies held by the opposition, which demanded the authorities to
    abolish the results of faked elections. On 1 March, 2008 protest of
    opposition and their supporters was suppressed as a result of provost
    operations and with the assistance of band-formations using fire-arms
    and special means. According to official information 10 persons died,
    dozens of people received wounds of various degrees of seriousness,
    hundreds of people were arrested. Later, more than 100 of them were
    sentenced to different periods of imprisonment, and many of them were
    released only after granting amnesty under the pressure form the side
    of international community. Dozens of people were wanted by the police,
    among them was N. Pashinyan.

    On 1 July, 2009 after being underground for a year and four months, N.

    Pashinyan yielded himself to the authorities. He was charged with part
    1 of the Article 225 and part 1 of the Article 316 of the Criminal
    Code of Armenia. His preventive punishment was chosen as detention.

    Helsinki Association held monitoring of all trial sessions. Based on
    it, the organization considers that serious violations took place at
    trials. In particular: Equality of parties was not observed Arguments
    of the prosecution side were not supported by proofs Lack of corpus
    delicti

    The Court ignored the resolutions of PACE, accordingly no one shall
    be punished for any act of violence unless he/she committed violence
    and prompted other to violence. The resolutions of PACE also call
    upon the Armenian authorities to release those persons who yielded
    themselves to authorities being wanted or underground.

    Articles 2, 6, 7, 16, 18, 19, 21, 22, 27, 29 of the Constitution of
    Armenia, Articles 8, 17, 23, 65, 90, 105, 106, 107, 124, 126, 127,
    340 ofrticles ere violated towards nstitution of Armenia were violated
    towards the Criminal Procedural Code of Armenia and Articles 6, 10,
    11 of the European Convention on Human Rights were violated toward N.

    Pashinyan.

    Based on the above-mentioned we, the representatives of the South
    Caucasus Network[1] of Human Rights Defenders consider that N.

    Pashinyan was convicted just for his political convictions like other
    supporters of the opposition. The members of the Network consider
    it impermissible that the Armenian authorities continue their harsh
    treatment against their political opponents.

    The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders demands the
    Armenian authorities to meet their obligations in the field of human
    rights and fundamental freedoms undeviatingly, to release all political
    prisoners, to punish those who are guilty both who issued the order
    and who executed it during the carnage of March 1st, 2008.

    The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders makes a request to
    the international community to carry out the monitoring of obligations
    assumed by the Armenian authorities and to exert pressure to them
    with a demand to stop the harsh treatment toward the citizens who
    struggle for democratic reforms.

    [1] The South Caucasus Network of Human Rights Defenders unites 30
    human rights NGOs in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. The Network
    seeks to facilitate creation of a safer and enabling environment for
    human rights defenders in the South Caucasus and to strengthen their
    voices in the region and internationally.
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