On April 20, Anoush Martirosyan, the infamous “Madame Pimp” of Dubai, was sentenced to thirteen years at the Kentron and Nork-Marsh Court of First Instance, Judge Yeva Darbinyan presiding.

In her defense statement to the court Anoush Martirosyan said, “If you actually believe that they are victims, you are mistaken. They all have been prostitutes for ten years. I would sooner kill myself then allow them to ruin my life by giving false testimony. They have already lead to the death of one person, my mother, who died two months ago from a heart attack.”

Anoush Martirosyan had already been convicted in 2004 for organizing prostitution. The second time she was brought to court on similar charges was in February, 2009. In this recent case, three individuals were recognized as aggrieved parties: Ani, Melena and Gohar (whose names have been changed to protect their identity).

Their story as to how they wound up in Dubai and forced to engage in the sex trade had been followed by Hetq. Madame Anoush was assisted in her nefarious business by her sisters Sofya Martirosyan and Sonya Gabrielyan, as well as by Mariam Martikyan.

We should remind readers that Proesecutor Artur Davtyan had motioned the court to sentence Sonya Gabrielyan to one year and one month, Sofya Martirosyan and Mariam Martikyan to six years and Anoush Martirosyan to fourteen years jail time.

“I have watched movies and in my estimation trafficking is when people forcibly take girls and lock them up. They then bring the clients and take money from them, stated Madame Anoush in court. “But the injured are well-known prostitutes. In Dubai they come to people like me and say, ‘Please, give us a break, we can’t make a go of it in Yerevan. Send us a visa to go there. We’ll make tons of money and give you your cut’. And if they show up, the very next day they’re out and about. The police are at practically every street corner. They can approach and ask if there’s a problem. If they don’t know the language, the police have translators. What type of trafficking is this? I don’t get it.”

Attorney Ruben Movsisyan noted in his statement that the trafficking indictment was based solely on the testimony of the aggrieved and that the accused have denied the charges set against them.

“The prosecution has not presented one piece of evidence to prove that Anoush Martirosyan organized an illegal ring or that Sofya Martirosyan was ever a member of that ring. There is also no evidence to link them to the individuals named Gagik and Artak, residents of Moscow,” stated the attorney. He motioned the court to declare Sofya innocent and to find Anoush guilty of “Assisting in the engagement of prostitution” (Article 262 of the RoA Criminal Code), arguing that “the conclusion substantiating the guilt of the individual cannot be based on conjecture”.

Mkrtich Vasakyan, the other defense lawyer, also noted that if Anoush Martisrosyan were to be convicted of trafficking it would have to be in accordance with Part 1 of Article 132, not Part 4. In other words, the defense team motioned the court to convict Madame Anoush on laws that could only sentence her to one to six years, and not ten to fifteen.

“Why should I spend fourteen years in jail when it was someone else that took them to Dubai, took their passports and made them work?” asked Anoush, looking directly at Judge Darbinyan, adding that, “I am guilty only in so far that I rented people like them at place to stay, since they were Armenian girls. I took the time to teach them the language. If they drank I warned them not to drink and lose their heads since Dubai was a different country with different rules. I also warned them not to fall in love and ruining themselves. Yes, I will bear my punishment for doing these good deeds.”

Mariam Martirosyan also considers what she did as an act of kindness. “It doesn’t seem to me that I’ve committed a crime and that of trafficking. I think that I’ve done a good deed. If I had deceived someone else, a young girl for example, an got her worked up then yes, I would consider myself guilty. But Melena specifically knew where she was going. In any event, I had nothing to do with where she was going.”

In the view of the defense lawyers, there was no illegal ring involved in the actions of Mariam Martikyan as well. Thus, they motioned the court to also release her from the case. Regarding, Sonya Gabrielyan, the lawyers requested that she receive a sentence that would allow her to remain outside of jail.

Sonya Gabrielyan pleaded with the court to show mercy since if her sisters got sent away to jail she’d be the only one left to bring them essential items.

Sofya Martirosyan also pleaded with the court in a similar fashion. “Today, those found guilty of murder are given shorter sentences then those demanded for the charges against us. I don’t know how, but the investigator (Hovhannes Gevorgyan) really did a number on us. Being a sick women, a mother and a grandmother, I ask that you go soft on me.”

Judge Yeva Darbinyan today found all four defendants guilty as charged. When Anoush Martirosyan heard that she was being sentenced to 13 years she began to shout out, “I don’t understand. What have you done? Are you trying to score points? You’re a judge with long years of experience. How can you pass sentence like this? Have you no shame? God will surely punish you.”

Judge Darbinyan read out the other sentences only after Anoush Martirosyan was removed from the court room. Sofya Martirosyan, Anoush’s sister, got five years. Mariam Martikyan received a four year sentence. Sonya Gabrielyan, Anoush’s other sister was sentenced to one year and a fine of 200,000 drams. The court decided that she could remain free, after signing a promissory note not to abscond, until the sentence goes into effect.

In addition, the court decided that the $1,500 given to Ani, one of the aggrieved, to pay for her silence would be confiscated and handed over to the state’s coffers.

All the sentences, if they aren’t appealed, will be enforced within a matter of days.