Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
09YEREVAN51
2009-01-27 04:23:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Yerevan
Cable title:
CONSCRIPT SOLDIER IMPRISONED FOR RETRACTING TESTIMONY
how-toVZCZCXRO5562 RR RUEHLN RUEHSK RUEHVK RUEHYG DE RUEHYE #0051 0270423 ZNR UUUUU ZZH R 270423Z JAN 09 FM AMEMBASSY YEREVAN TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8572 INFO RUCNCIS/CIS COLLECTIVE RUEHLMC/MILLENNIUM CHALLENGE CORPORATION WASHINGTON DC RUEHNO/USMISSION USNATO 0668 RUEHVEN/USMISSION USOSCE 0603
UNCLAS YEREVAN 000051
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM AM
SUBJECT: CONSCRIPT SOLDIER IMPRISONED FOR RETRACTING TESTIMONY
AGAINST OPPOSITIONIST
REF:
(U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.
UNCLAS YEREVAN 000051
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM AM
SUBJECT: CONSCRIPT SOLDIER IMPRISONED FOR RETRACTING TESTIMONY
AGAINST OPPOSITIONIST
REF:
(U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.
1. (SBU) Yerevan district court sentenced 18-year-old Karen
Hayrapetian to one year in prison on perjury charges for retracting
his incriminating testimony against opposition Member of Parliament
Myasnik Malkhasian and his driver Arman Shahinian, who were arrested
following the March 1-2 postelection violence. Arman Shahinian was
sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in June 2008 for allegedly
assaulting a policeman on March 1. Shahinian's verdict was based
mainly on a pre-trial statement signed by Karen Hayrapetian, who
prosecutors said had witnessed the incident. There was no
specifically identified victim in this case; the police officer whom
Shahinian allegedly assaulted has never been identified. (Note:
Shahinian was released from prison on December 29, 2008, after
serving one third of his sentence. End note.)
2. (SBU) Hayrapetian claimed at Shahinian's trial that he was
tricked by police into signing the testimony shortly before being
drafted into the army on June 10. He also said he had never seen
Shahinian before, and that on March 1 he was not even in Yerevan.
According to a news report, twenty of Hayrapetian's co-villagers
including the village mayor signed a document asserting that he was
in Hartavan village on that date. The judge ignored Hayrapetian's
retraction and convicted Shahinian, based on Hayrapetian's written
testimony and as well as that of another reputed witness who later
alleged coercion (see para 4 below).
3. (SBU) Soon after the Shahinian trial, state prosecutors accused
Hayrapetian of perjury and he went on trial in October 2008. The
court convicted him on January 22 and he was taken to prison.
According to the Helsinki Association, who monitored the trial,
Hayrapetian's military commanders who were present at the trial were
taken by surprise with the verdict, since they had expected a
suspended sentence. The opposition Armenian National Movement
claimed that Hayrapetian became the 60th political prisoner in the
country.
4. (SBU) In addition to Hayrapetian there was one more reputed
witness to the alleged assault. The Helsinki Association reports
that the second witness had asserted that he had been beaten in
police custody until he agreed to give false testimony against
Shahinian, but this second witness was not willing to retract the
testimony in court for fear of further reprisals.
YOVANOVITCH
SENSITIVE
SIPDIS
DEPT FOR EUR/CARC AND DRL
E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM PGOV PREL KDEM AM
SUBJECT: CONSCRIPT SOLDIER IMPRISONED FOR RETRACTING TESTIMONY
AGAINST OPPOSITIONIST
REF:
(U) Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.
1. (SBU) Yerevan district court sentenced 18-year-old Karen
Hayrapetian to one year in prison on perjury charges for retracting
his incriminating testimony against opposition Member of Parliament
Myasnik Malkhasian and his driver Arman Shahinian, who were arrested
following the March 1-2 postelection violence. Arman Shahinian was
sentenced to 18 months imprisonment in June 2008 for allegedly
assaulting a policeman on March 1. Shahinian's verdict was based
mainly on a pre-trial statement signed by Karen Hayrapetian, who
prosecutors said had witnessed the incident. There was no
specifically identified victim in this case; the police officer whom
Shahinian allegedly assaulted has never been identified. (Note:
Shahinian was released from prison on December 29, 2008, after
serving one third of his sentence. End note.)
2. (SBU) Hayrapetian claimed at Shahinian's trial that he was
tricked by police into signing the testimony shortly before being
drafted into the army on June 10. He also said he had never seen
Shahinian before, and that on March 1 he was not even in Yerevan.
According to a news report, twenty of Hayrapetian's co-villagers
including the village mayor signed a document asserting that he was
in Hartavan village on that date. The judge ignored Hayrapetian's
retraction and convicted Shahinian, based on Hayrapetian's written
testimony and as well as that of another reputed witness who later
alleged coercion (see para 4 below).
3. (SBU) Soon after the Shahinian trial, state prosecutors accused
Hayrapetian of perjury and he went on trial in October 2008. The
court convicted him on January 22 and he was taken to prison.
According to the Helsinki Association, who monitored the trial,
Hayrapetian's military commanders who were present at the trial were
taken by surprise with the verdict, since they had expected a
suspended sentence. The opposition Armenian National Movement
claimed that Hayrapetian became the 60th political prisoner in the
country.
4. (SBU) In addition to Hayrapetian there was one more reputed
witness to the alleged assault. The Helsinki Association reports
that the second witness had asserted that he had been beaten in
police custody until he agreed to give false testimony against
Shahinian, but this second witness was not willing to retract the
testimony in court for fear of further reprisals.
YOVANOVITCH