Human Rights Defender Discusses Entry Ban for Citizen Arriving from Lebanon

On August 1, the Human Rights Defender's hotline received a report from a citizen indicating that their passport had been seized at Zvartnots Airport. Staff from the Human Rights Defender's office contacted relevant state authorities to gather information regarding the situation. The conveyed information was presented to the citizen.

The office requested that the citizen call the hotline again if any further issues arose; however, no callback was received. Later that night, around midnight, MP Kristine Vardanyan called the hotline and informed that the citizen was still at the airport. Following this report, contact was established with the citizen, who stated that the issue with their passport had been resolved and the passport had been returned to them, but the problem regarding entry into Armenia remained unsolved.

The Human Rights Defender's office immediately discussed the matter with relevant authorities. On the morning of August 2, the office reached out to the citizen to clarify whether the issues had been finally resolved. However, the citizen reported that their passport had been seized again. Contact was made with a representative of the competent authority, who informed that the entry into Armenia was prohibited, and the passport had been taken to arrange for a return ticket.

This information was relayed back to the citizen, including clarifications regarding the entry ban applied to them and the procedure for appealing the actions of law enforcement agencies, as well as the scope of the Defender's powers concerning this matter. Within the discussion, the Human Rights Defender will be requesting written clarifications from relevant state authorities. The issue is under the immediate attention of the Defender.