Zina Melikyan

Written by Veles Human Rights NGO on February 8, 2017. Posted in Cases.

Melikyan’s case

On March 17, 2014, the Judicial Acts Compulsory Enforcement officers expelled the Melikyan family from their last shelter situated in 38/1 Abovyan Street, in a shop belonging to them still since the 90s.

According to the case materials, to start a business, still in 2009, the 29-year-old Zinaida Melikyan borrowed from her acquaintance Kristine Vardanyan 16,000 US dollars at a monthly interest rate of 10 per cent. Unable to pay the money back, she again took more money from another person, still at an interest rate. The interests were accumulated and the debt approached to 100,000 US dollars. There raised a need in pledging a family-owned residential shop. Instead of signing a written pledge, however, Zinaida was persuaded that, as a guarantee of a refund of the money, she should conclude a fictitious sale contract, in other words, she should make the house in the name of a person who she was lent the money by. First, the house was formally sold to a certain Anush Grigoryan, who, however, months later asked her money back, and Zinaida started looking for another person who would lend her money at an interest rate.

With the help of the broker, Artak Martirosyan, Zina Melikyan got acquainted with Hovhannes Yeritsyan, the former Chief of the Civil Aviation of Armenia, who lent her 100,000 US dollars at a monthly interest rate of 10 per cent.

Again, instead of a written pledge, a purchase and sale agreement was signed, and that time the residential shop moved from Anush Grigoryan to Hovhannes Yeritsyan.

Zinaida had been paying 10,000 US dollars monthly interest rate for three months, and when she could not get money for that, she was offered to find another person who would lend her money.

Zinaida borrowed 127,000 US dollars from Artavazd Aivazyan, Yerityan’s partner and a lawyer, in order she could pay back the principal sum borrowed from Yeritsyan, along with the interests and the commission fee.

As a result of this bargain, the residential shop moved from Yeritsyan to Artavazd Aivazyan. Months later, the family received a notice from the court which noted that Artavazd Aivazyan demanded to expel the Melikyans from the place that belonged to him.

While carrying out the court decision, the Judicial Acts Compulsory Enforcement Service officers caused physical abuse to Zinaid’s 75-year-old grandmother, Zina Gyozalyan. The family members are now living far from each other; each of them has found a shelter either in the house of a relation or that of a friend.

In 2013, Zinaida Melikyan applied to the founders of “Veles” human rights organization. The organization has been presenting Melikyan’s interests at the Investigative Department of Kentron administrative district, where, based on Zinaida’s application, a criminal case was initiated on the fact of usury.

23.02.2014 a claim against Yeritsyan was made by Melikyan’s family

10.03.2014 a criminal case was initiated against Yeritsyan

15.07.2015 the case was illegally closed

25.07.2015 we made a complaint to Prosecutor against the investigator’s decision to close the criminal case

25.09.2015 we claimed to the court on inactivity of Procuracy who ignored our complaint

10.05.2016 the court satisfied our appeal and obliged Procuracy to eliminate violations

20.05.2016 Procuracy appealed to the Appeal court on the court’s decision

12.10.2016 we held another victory at the Courts of Appeal against Procuracy

08.12.2016 Procuracy appealed to Cassation Court against our victory at the Court of Appeal

22.02.2017 we held a victory at the Cassation Court against Procuracy

10.03.2017 inspite the court decisions which are sure obligatory for all the bodies the Procuracy illegally did not reopen the criminal case as demanded in the courts decisions and made an illegal decision not to reopen the criminal case against Yeritsyan

03.04.2017 we appealed again to the court against the Procuracy

The court hearings on Zina Melikyan’s case in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Districts of RA (judge A.Bektashyan)

18.04.2017 – 17:00

13.06.2017 – 10:00

28.06.2017 – 10:00

17.07.2017 – 17:00

03.08.2017 – 12:00

23.08.2017 – 17:00

04.09.2017 – 10:00

14.09.2017 – 16:00

03.10.2017 – 09:30

03.10.2017 (more than 10 court hearings) we won the case

24.11.2017 another illegal decision made by Procuracy not to reopen the criminal case against Yeritsyan

28.12.2017 we appealed to the court against violations of Procuracy with demand to eliminate them and reopen the criminal case against Yeritsyan

The court hearings on Zina Melikyan’s case in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Districts of RA (judge M. Martirosyan)

18.01.2018-16:00

31.01.2018-10:30

15.02.2018-16:00

15.02.2018 our complaint was denied by the court

14.03.2018 we have appealed to the Appeal Court demanding elimination of violations against Melikyan’s family and with legal request to reopen the criminal case against Yeritsyan