Lawyers of Community Leaders Submit Complaints to the Ombudsman

The Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia has reported that issues regarding the criminal prosecution of the former head of the Meghri community in the Syunik region, the administrative leaders of the communities of Goris, Vorotan, and Karahunj, as well as the heads of Kajaran and Sisian, have been under the close attention of the Human Rights Defender from the outset.

In particular, after receiving alerts directed to the Human Rights Defender, a working group was dispatched to the Syunik region, where visits were made to several leaders deprived of their freedom, along with discussions with local residents. Discussions also took place with various law enforcement and local self-government bodies.

Additionally, media publications and social media posts are being separately studied and analyzed.

Lawyers representing the community leaders have addressed complaints to the Human Rights Defender concerning the criminal prosecutions initiated against them and their deprivation of freedom. According to the lawyers, the prosecutions, arrests, and detentions lack grounds and should be immediately halted or revoked.

The Office of the Human Rights Defender has already sent a number of official letters. Furthermore, on June 16, a meeting was held with the lawyers at the Office of the Human Rights Defender, where the rights protection issues raised by the lawyers of the heads of Goris, Sisian, Kajaran communities, and the former head of Meghri were discussed in detail.

Among other matters, the lawyers insisted that the detention and arrest of their clients occurred in violation of their rights, and that the initiation of criminal prosecutions and detentions also broke the law.

During the meeting, the implementation of relevant measures by the Human Rights Defender was also discussed. This statement emphasizes that in accordance with the jurisdiction of the Human Rights Defender, the legally prescribed measures continue to be taken, including discussions, visits, and official communications.