Charges Against Young Activist Upgraded; Demonstration Called for Tomorrow
[ 2009/08/18 | 17:03 ]
In the last two days, the Erebuni Investigative Unit of the RoA Police Department’s Criminal Affairs Division has upgraded its indictment against Mariam Soukhudyan, a young environmental activist.
On August 13, Mariam Soukhudyan received a subpoena to appear in court two days later to testify on the charge of “slander”. But on August 15 she was told that the charge had been changed to one of “false denunciation for personal gain”; a charge that punishable by up to five years imprisonment.
According to the environmental NGO “Ecolur”, Mariam Soukhudyan has been ordered to appear in court on August 19.
The “false denunciation” charge stems from a “Haylur” TV broadcast on November 13, 2008, in which a female ward of Boarding School No. 11 in Yerevan’s Nubarashen suburb alleged sexual harassment by one of their teachers, Levon Avagian. “According to the stories from the girls, there was at least one case of rape,” it charged.
Soukhudyan was among about a dozen young people who worked as volunteers at the Boarding School No. 11 in Yerevan’s Nubarashen suburb in April-June 2008 as part of a United Nations project to boost educational standards in Armenia and recorded one of the girl’s allegations. She took the report to the media.
A demonstration will take place outside the Erebuni Investigative Unit (162 Movses Khorenatsi Street) tomorrow at 3:00 p.m. to protest the charges levied against the young activist.
August 21st, 2009 at 14:14
Ինչ ահավոր երկրում ենք ապրում:Սարսափելի է:Անամոթության ու ծայրահեղ անօրինության միջավայր`իմ մայր հայրենիք,Հայաստան աշխարհ… Վատ է, շատ վատ:
September 3rd, 2009 at 21:32
Քաղաքակիրթ երկրներում Մարիամի նման երիտասարդներով հպարտանում են: Միթե մենք նմանվել ենք մեր թշնամիներին` թուրքերին? Դա հոգեբանական արմատներ ունի երբ զոհը ինքն է դառնում բռնարար: Ամոթ Մարիամի հետապնդողների: