Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong was arrested on Friday for his alleged connection to the influence-peddling scandal that rocked South Korea at the end of last year and lead to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye, state media reported.
Prosecutors are accusing Lee — the first leader in Samsung’s history to be detained in a criminal probe — of paying 43 billion won (US$ 37.37 million) in bribes to organizations linked to the president’s childhood friend Choi Soon-sil to secure the 2015 merger of two Samsung affiliates and solidify his control of the business.
The Seoul Central District Court issued the warrant for Lee’s arrest on allegations of bribery, perjury and embezzlement, citing the risk that he might destroy evidence or flee, a court spokesperson said.
Lee was taken into custody at the Seoul Detention Center early Friday after waiting there overnight for the court decision, Reuters reported.
“We will summon Samsung Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong on Saturday. We will make sure that we establish grounds to indict him,” a spokesman for the special prosecutor Lee Kyu-chul told reporters.
A spokeswoman for Samsung Group said the chaebol had yet to decide whether to contest Lee’s arrest or seek bail.
“We will do our best to ensure that the truth is revealed in future court proceedings,” the Samsung Group said in a brief statement.
Lee — who has led the country’s largest conglomerate since his father, Lee-Kun-hee, suffered a heart attack in 2014 — avoided arrestlast month when the same court rejected the prosecution’s first request due to a lack of evidence.
But the prosecutors questioned the billionaire again for 15 hours on Monday, and a spokesman said they found evidence that Lee was hiding profits gained illegally and concealing money overseas, Bloomberg reported.
Lee confirmed at a previous hearing in December that the family-owned business conglomerate sponsored the equestrian career of Choi’s daughter Chung Yoo-ra, including the purchases of horses and training.
Choi, the president’s confidante at the center of the scandal, has been detained since late October. She has been charged with abuse of power, attempted fraud, bribery and obstruction of business.
South Korea’s parliament voted overwhelmingly on Dec. 9 to impeach President Park, giving the power of the president to Prime Minister Hwang Kyo-ahn. The country’s Constitutional Court was given 180 days to review the impeachment.
The husband of Spain’s Princess Cristina will spend more than six years in prison for using his royal connections to embezzle more than € 6 million (US$ 6.6 million) of public money, media reported Friday.
The Majorca court cleared Princess Cristina—the sister of King Felipe VI —in the tax fraud case involving her husband Inaki Urdangarin’s non-profit organization, the Noos Institute.
Judges found that Urdangarin, a former Olympian, had used his royal connections to win contracts for his institute which organized conferences and sports events for a range of clients, including regional governments, media reported.
The former Duke of Palma would then overcharge his clients and stash the money away in his personal accounts hidden in tax havens.
Prosecutors said some of that money was transferred to the Aizoon real estate firm—jointly owned by Cristina and Urdangarin—and was used to pay for family holidays, redecoration and theater tickets.
The court fined Cristina more than € 265,000 (US$ 280,000) for indirectly benefiting from her husband’s fraud.
Urdagarin’s business partner Diego Torres and a former government minister were also both found guilty and sentenced to jail time.
In total there were 16 defendants in this case, nine of whom were acquitted, including Cristina.
Cristina’s lawyer has said she is “satisfied with the acknowledgement of her innocence,” but still believes her husband is not guilty.
After learning of the sentence, a spokesman for the royal family told Spanish media that they have the “maximum respect for the independence of the power of the judiciary.”
Princess Cristina is the first Spanish royal to stand trial since the monarchy was re-established in 1975.
The case, which began in 2010 at the height of Spain’s economic crisis, soon became a symbol of corruption amongst the out of touch Spanish elites.
When the princess was indicted two years ago, King Felipe VI stripped his sister of her title.
Social justice is an underlying principle for peaceful and prosperous coexistence within and among nations. We uphold the principles of social justice when we promote gender equality or the rights of indigenous peoples and migrants. We advance social justice when we remove barriers that people face because of gender, age, race, ethnicity, religion, culture or disability.
For the United Nations, the pursuit of social justice for all is at the core of our global mission to promote development and human dignity. The adoption by the International Labour Organization of the Declaration on Social Justice for a Fair Globalization is just one recent example of the UN system’s commitment to social justice. The Declaration focuses on guaranteeing fair outcomes for all through employment, social protection, social dialogue, and fundamental principles and rights at work.
The General Assembly proclaimed 20 February as World Day of Social Justice in 2007, inviting Member States to devote the day to promoting national activities in accordance with the objectives and goals of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth session of the General Assembly. Observance of World Day of Social Justice should support efforts of the international community in poverty eradication, the promotion of full employment and decent work, gender equity and access to social well-being and justice for all.
The trial of the case of the beneficiary of “Veles” NGO Gayane Tumasyan will be heard on 20.02.2017, at 11:00 am, at the Court of First Instance of Armavir marz (Judge Vahe Khalatyan)
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
The court hearings on Zina Melikyan’s case in the Criminal Court of Appeal (judge R. Mkhitaryan)
The investigator – Paruyr Aghababyan, the chief investigator of the RA Investigation Department of Kentron and Nork Marash administrative districts of Yerevan
On 01.05.2014, criminal case N 13142214 was filed on on the grounds of Articles 178 and 182 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Armenia.
On 24.11.2014, criminal case N 13142214 was quashed.
On 15.12.2014, the prosecutor of Yerevan decided to reject quashing of the criminal case of 24.11.2014, and on not holding criminal prosecution against M. Poghosyan, released by Paruyr Aghababyan, the senior investigator of the Investigation Department of Kentron and Nork Marash administrative districts of Yerevan.
On 15.01.2015, M. Poghosyan filed an appeal to the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan, against the decision on quashing criminal case N 13142214 of 24.11.2014, of the chief investigator of the Investigation Department, P. Aghababyan.
On 30.07.2015, the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan, chaired by the judge A. Bektashyan, satisfied the appeal filed by M. Poghosyan against the decision of the chief investigator P. Aghababyan on quashing criminal proceedings of criminal case N 13142214 and the decision of 24.11.2014 on non-fulfillment of criminal prosecution.
On 03.11.2015, the RA Criminal Court of Appeal, with G. Avetisyan at judge, overturned the decision of 30.07.2015, held by the court of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan.
Advocates I. Petrosyan, K. Mejlumyan, and A. Sukiasyan.
Background of criminal case N 13142214
Since 2013, “Veles” NGO has been receiving complaints from citizens who suffered from actions of Hovhannes Pavlik Yeritsyan, the former head of the RA Civil Aviation Department. In February 2014, criminal case N 17112714 was initiated based on the report from Gayane Tumasyan, one of the citizens suffered from Yritsyan’s illegal actions. In March 2014, criminal case N 13127214 was initiated based on the report from Zinaida Melikyan.
Successively, in response, on May 1, criminal case No. 13142214 was filed against M. Poghosyan, the head of “Veles” NGO, on the basis of a report from Yeritsyan, on the grounds of Article 178 of the Criminal Code of Armenia; later the criminal case was requalified as a case of extortion on the grounds of the RA Criminal Code.
H. Yeritsyan stated in his report that the human rights defender was “a member of the Kazakh mafia” and resorted to After an eight-month investigation, criminal case No. 13142214 was quashed. At the same time, the head of the organization, M. Poghosyan, submitted a report during the preliminary investigation which said that H. Yeritsyan made a false delation and gave false testimonies during the entire pre-investigation period for the aim of distorting participation of “Veles” human rights defender NGO in the pre-investigation of the criminal case initiated against him on the grounds of deliberate testimonies for mercenary motives. Our report was remained with no esults.
Yeritsyan escaped the criminal responsibility formulating that he had problems with perception and had not perceived his testimonies and the report on the crime. Later a number of other criminal cases against Yeritsyan were instituted on the grounds of reports to “Veles” NGO from citizens suffered from actions by H. Yeritsyan, among which one is worth mentioning: through threats on the life he demanded David Stepanyan to give back to him a sum of $ 1,000,000 USD.
Media coverings on the case are available.
07.03.2018«Դուք հայտարարում եք, որ Արփի Մերասը չի՞ մահացել». դատավորը զարմացած է
The investigator – senior investigators of Arabkir Investigative Department of the RA Police, L. Markosyan, A. Vardanyan, L. Yolchyan, A. Vardanyan, S. Rafaelyan, and H. Rapian.
On 17.08.2015, criminal case N 14149815 was initiated on the grounds of Article 178 of the RA Criminal Code.
On 19.10.2015, criminal case N 14149815 was quashed.
On 02.02.2016, criminal case N 14149815 was resumed.
On 28.07.2016, M. Poghosyan was involved in the case as an accused on the grounds of Article 178 of the RA Criminal Code.
On 26.11.2016, an accusation conclusion was made on the grounds of Article 179 of the RA Criminal Code.
On 20.12.2016, criminal case N 14149815 was sent to the Court of General Jurisdiction of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun Administrative Districts of Yerevan.
The advocate – L. Simonyan, N.Karapetynts, A.Papikyan, A.Gurieli, M.Shushanyan
Background of criminal case N 14149815
At the beginning of July 2015, I voiced my concerns in the presence of Davtyan, the prosecutor of Yerevan (currently the Prosecutor General of Armenia) about the fact that the family of the former Prosecutor General of Armenia, S. Osipov, had performed illegal actions, such as extortion of money and property in rather large amounts.
On 15.07.2015, an appeal from an 80-year-old citizen of Canada A. Meras was received on behalf of A. Karapetyan, the Head of the Police of Yerevan (who is popular of his atrocities both during the “Electric Yerevan” and “Sasna Tsrer” protests) which said as if M. Poghosyan extorted her property.
On 05.08.2015, the non-governmental organization “Veles” sent a letter to the representative of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in Armenia on possible criminal activity of Russian citizens and the family of the former Prosecutor General of Armenia (the citizen of the Russian Federation).
On 17.08.2015, a criminal proceeding on grounds of extortion was instituted against M. Poghosyan, the head of “Veles” NGO.
On 03.09.2015, the “Veles” NGO submitted an appeal to the police against the son of the former Prosecutor General of Armenia on extortion of the sum of $5.000.0000 USD.
On 15.09.2015, I was invited to the Criminal Investigation Department of Arabkir Community where I witnessed that the investigator and the advocate were making a report to someone on the phone by snatching the receiver away from each other’s hand, and one said the following: “The hen has come; all will do how it is agreed upon …”. I immediately wrote about that the Prosecutor General telling him about the exact time of the phone talk and the investigator’s telephone number, asking him to find out the customers of the case (with no results).
On 15.09.2015, criminal case number 13811015 was instituted on the basis of the article on extortion against the family of the former Prosecutor General of Armenia about obtaining a sum of $5.000.000 USD.
On 17.09.2015, attempts to hold a night rummage in the apartment of a bidder, of mine, in another address of her residence, with no witnesses and no eyewitnesses, and with threats.
On 28.09.2015, within the frames of criminal case number 13811015, I submitted a solicitation on putting the property of the prosecutor’s family under arrest. The solicitation was declined reasoning that the Criminal Procedure Code of Armenia prohibits putting the property of a witness under arrest.
On 30.09.2015, there was a decision on criminal case number 14149815 on putting the property of a bona fide purchaser, who was also the witness, under arrest. In that case the Code of Criminal Procedure of Armenia would permit putting the property of the witness under arrest. Use of double standards.
On 30.11.2015, the investigator of criminal case number 13811015 acquainted the son of the former Prosecutor General of Armenia Osipov with the investigation materials thus violating the investigation privacy. As soon as they had got acquainted with all the materials and evidences, they appealed the court with the request of invalidation of the decision of instituting a criminal proceeding.
On 19.10.2015, cessation of the criminal case number 14149815 against M. Poghosyan.
On 26.01.2016, after the press was engaged in the case and it was widely publisized, the former prosecutor’s family lost the court case and the decision on the institution of the proceedings on the criminal case was declared to be legal.
On 02.02.2016, cessation of the criminal case against the right defender was reinstituted by the decision of the Court of Arabkir.
On 18.07.2016, by the efforts of our organization and through an intersession and testimonies a commodity expertise established for the property obtained through criminal measures by the prosecutor’s family.
On 19.07.2016, an appeal on a crime by the “Veles” organization was submitted to the Prosecutor General of Armenia on an illegal institution of the case and unlawful persecutions of the human rights defender, as well as on the application of double standards and possible corruption risks in the investigation bodies of Armenia.
On 23.07.2016, Poghosyan revealed the schemes of the money laundering by Russian investors in cooperation with the family of the former prosecutor of Armenia Osipov, and she presented money orders and other testimonies related to financial off-shore machinations to the investigator.
On28.07.2016, M. Poghosyan was attracted in the case as a fraud defendant on the basis of Article 178, part 3 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Armenia. Use of suppression measures – a house arrest.
On 10.10.2016, initiated by Poghosyan and A. Sakunts, a press conference on Russian criminal money laundering through the Russian bank of VTB was held, during which they voiced specific names of some high-ranking officials of the Prosecutor’s Office of Armenia, about a great number of interviews and articles on financial machinations of the prosecutor’s family, other employees of the Prosecutor’s Office, and Russian businessmen, as well as on embezzlements of money in especially large amounts.
On 26.11.2016, the accusation brought against M. Poghosyan was changed into the theft in especially large amounts grounded on Article 179 of the Criminal Code of Armenia.
On 12.2016, the investigation of criminal case number 13811015 was ceased due to the lack of any corpus delicti in the actions of the Osipov family, the Russian businessmen, the VTB Bank and other officials.
On 20.12.2016, the materials of criminal case number 14149815, together with the confirmation of the indictment on accusation against M. Poghosyan were sent to the Court of Arabkir.
On 18.01.2016, the first court hearing was held in the Court of First Instance of Arabkir and Kanaker-Zeytun administrative districts of Yerevan. L. Simonyan, the advocate of M. Poghosyan, filed a petition on the broken interruption of the case examination, which A. Mkrtchyan satisfied and the criminal case was sent to the Court of Kentron administrative district of Yerevan.
The court hearings on human rights activist M. Poghosyan’s case N ԵԱՔԴ/0239/01/16 in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Districts of RA (judge M. Martirosyan)
06․03․2017 -15։00
15․03․2017 -12։00
22․03․2017 -10։00
28․03․2017-10։00
11․04․2017-15։00
13․04․2017 -10։00
18․04․2017-10։00
25․04․2017-10։00
28․04․2017-10։00
12․05․2017 -10։00
12․06․2017 -10։00
29.06.2017-10։00
12.07.2017 -10։00
26.07.2017 -16։30
25.08.2017 -10։00
07.09.2017 -12։00
23.09.2017 -15։30
06.10.2017 -11։00
13.10.2017 -16։00
15.11.2017 -14։00
06.12.2017 -10։00
22.12.2017 -10։00
15.01.2018 -10։00
31.01.2018 -16։00
22.02.2018 -10։00
06.03.2018 -09։30
06.04.2018 -10։00
16.04.2018 -09։30
19.04.2018 -10։30
22.05.2018 -10։00
30.05.2018 -12։00
Court hearings in the Criminal Court of Appeals of Armenia on case No. ԵԱՔԴ/0239/01/16 against M. Poghosyan (presiding judge A. Danielyan)
26.10.2017- Prosecutor’s Office ‘clarifies’: “In response to human rights activist Marina Poghosyan’s inquiry, Police did not provide false information but rather just missed in the letter the abbreviation ‘GDCI’ (General Department of Criminal Investigation)”
20.02.2017-Փետրվարի 17-ի առավոտյան ժամը 9:23-ին «Վելես» իրավապաշտպան ՀԿ նախագահ Մարինա Պողոսյանը հեռախոսազանգով տեղեկացվել է, որ իր նկատմամբ հարուցված քրգործի դատական երկրորդ նիստը տեղի է ունենալու նույն օրը ժամը 10:00-ին:
National Freedom Day is a United States observance on February 1 honoring the signing by Abraham Lincoln of a joint House and Senate resolution that later became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. President Lincoln signed the Amendment outlawing slavery on February 1, 1865, although it was not ratified by the states until later.
The trial of the case of the beneficiary of “Veles” NGO David Stepanyan will be heard on 30.01.2017, at 10:30 am, at the Court of First Instance of Kentron and Nork-Marash Administrative Districts (Judge Mesrop Makyan)
You can get acquainted with Stepanyan’s case here.
David Stepanyan is one of the victims of illegal activities of Hovhannes Yeritsyan, the former head of Civic Aviation. He borrowed $900.000 USD from him and paid back $1.450.000 USD in total only as percentage ($216.000 per year). Stepanyan was threatened not only by Yeritsyan (who feared him saying that the part of the money lent to him was a KGB general’s), but also by the former Member of the Parliament, a friend of Yeritsyan. In the result he got nervous breakdown and was put in hospital, having a heart operation. «Veles» NGO has been representing Stepanyan’s interests in law enforcement bodies and in the courts.
12.02.2016 David Stepanyan applied to «Veles» NGO for legal assistance
01.04.2016 with our legal aid David Stepanyan made a complaint to General Prosecutor
06.05.2016 David Stepanyan’s complaint was rejected
23.05.2016 our organization made a complaint on rejection on Stepanyan’s complaint
01.06.2016 our complaint was satisfied and a criminal case was opened and the investigation began. We were representing Stepanyan’s interests at investigation
10.11.2016 the case was illegaly closed based on the investigators decision
22.11.2016 our organization made a complaint to prosecutor’s office against the investigators decision from 10.11.2016
01.12.2016 the prosecutor’s office rejected our complaint. We applied with the rightful demand to reopen the case against Yeritsyan based on Stepanyan’s claim
27.12.2016 we applied to the court against the prosecutor’s illegal rejection
The court hearings on David Stemanyan’s case in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork Marash Administrative Districts of RA (judge M.Makyan)
30.01.2017թ. ժամը 10:30
23.02.2017թ. ժամը 10:30
14.03.2017թ. ժամը 10:30
There were several court hearings at court and we won the case and 14.03.2017 the court made decision and abolished prosecutors decision
29.03.2017 the prosecutor made an appeal to Appeal Court against the decision to reopen the criminal case against Yeritsyan
The court hearings on David Stepanyan’s case in the Criminal Court of Appeal (judge M.Papoyan)
20.04.2017թ. ժամը 11:00
17.05.2017թ. ժամը 10:00
17.06.20172թ. ժամը 11:00
04.07.2017թ. ժամը 10:00
20.07.2017թ. ժամը 10:00
After five hearings at the Appeal Court 20.07.2017 we won the case and prosecutor’s complaint was rejected by the Court of Appeal and was made a decision to reopen the criminal case against Yeritsyan
15.08.2017 the prosecutor made an appeal to Court of Cassation with demand to close Yeritsyan’s criminal case but was also rejected
29.01.2018the case against Yeritsyan reopened and now is on investigation.
We hold victory against Procuracy and their efforts to protect Yeritsyan were in vain.
Now we are representing Stepanyan at investigation
On 22 May, 2018, P. Grigoryan, the investigator of proceedings of criminal case No. 63203516, decided to suspend the criminal proceedings.
On 11 June, 2018, a complaint against the decision of suspending the criminal case of 22 May, 2018, was filed in the Prosecutor’s Office of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan.
On 12 June, 2018, the Prosecutor’s Office of Kentron and Nork-Marash administrative districts of Yerevan made a decision to reject the appeal filed by Marina Poghosyan.
On 19 July, 2018, a complaint was filed in the Court of General Jurisdiction of Yerevan against the decision of 22 May, 2018, on suspending the criminal proceedings of criminal case No. 63203516
The court hearings on David Stemanyan’s case in the Yerevan Court of General Jurisdiction (judges A.Tadevosyan. A.Danibekyan)
03.08.2018- 15:30
16.08.2018- 14:00
03.09.2018- 17:00
09.10.2018- 17:00
03.11.2018- 11:00
Media coverage on his case can be found at:
03.11.2018 Դատավոր Դանիբեկյանը կոծկում է ՞ նախկին չինովնիկի կոռուպցիոն իրավախախտումները
Today (January 25), the British influential “Economist Intelligence Unit” consulting company has published its annual report on democracy. The report bearing the title “Democracy Index: Revenge of the “deplorables” also addresses the democracy index in Armenia for last year.
“Back, Armenia”
In 2015, the same “Economist Intelligence Unit”, in its annual report on democracy tendencies in the world, called Armenia a “hybrid regime”, i.e. a state system located in the continuum between democracy and authoritarianism. Moreover, in 2015, Armenia ranked 116th with its democracy index, closing the list of hybrid regimes. In other words, Armenia was just one step “behind” in joining the states that received an authoritarian status.
This year Armenia has filled that “gap” and has moved 4 steps behind, appearing in the 120th position. In the aforementioned ranking, the first position belongs to the most democratic state and the 167th to the most authoritarian one). As a result, Armenia’s democracy index has appeared next to those of Nigeria, Mauritania, Kuwait and Cote d’Ivoire.
In fact, this is the result of disproportionate force and special means used by the Police against peaceful protestors during the resistance in the Police Base in summer of 2016.
Neighbors
The situation with most of the EAEU member countries is much sadder. Belarus, Russia and Kazakhstan rank 127th, 134th and 139th. Only Kyrgyzstan has been classified as a hybrid regime this year, ranking 98thin the list.
Among Eastern Partnership countries, Ukraine and Georgia have been classified as hybrid regimes while Moldova has moved one step forward and has been classified as a “flawed democracy”. Apart from Belarus, Azerbaijan is also in the list of authoritarian states together with Armenia, occupying the 148thposition.
A human rights defender working against corruption is facing charges of extortion in Armenia. Human rights organisations have linked the trial to the work of the human rights defender’s organisation in uncovering illegal activities involving officials in the country.
“The case against Marina Poghosyan is emblematic of the way Armenia treats human rights defenders, and of the increasingly worrying situation in the country. Several examples in recent years of political figures issuing threats against and intimidating LGBT activists and women human rights defenders, illustrate that the authorities are not upholding their commitments to protect and promote human rights defenders, but on the contrary try to hinder people from standing up for human rights.” commented Ane Tusvik Bonde, Human Rights House Foundation’s(HRHF) Regional Manager, Eastern Europe and Caucasus.
Marina Poghosyan is the director ofVeles, an Armenian non-governmental organisation working against corruption, shadow economy, fraud, usury, and money-laundering, and victims of violations of the judicial system, providing them with free legal advice and representation.
Since beginning work in 2013, Veles has revealed cases of illegal and suspicious activities involving former and current Armenian officials. Several member organisations within Human Rights House Yerevan(HRHY) have supported the work of Marina Poghosyan in recent years.
They state that the charges against her are “fabricated” and are an attempt to intimidate her and to halt her work, highlighting that the charges “only came after her attempt to reveal” illegal and suspicious activity.
The initiation of proceedings against her coincided with the start of a criminal case that Veles had worked on involving ex-prosecutor Suren Osipov’s son Victor Hovsepyan, in which other members of Osipov’s family, as well as other employees of the prosecutor’s office were implicated.
She was charged and attended the Arabkir district court on 19 January. Both Poghosyan and her supporters voiced concerns that employees of the legal institutions in the Arabkir district have personal relationships with two ex-officials connected to cases worked on by Veles.
The Judge ruled that the case would be transferred to the Central Court of Yerevan. No date was set for the next hearing.
A lawyer from Article 42 of the Constitution from the Human Rights House Tbilisi, observing the court hearings at the request of HRHF and HRHY, reported no obstruction or interference when entering the court and noted that several journalists and human rights defenders were in attendance.
Members of HRHY have commented that they see the transfer of the case to the Central Court of Yerevan as a small but positive development. They have also stated that they will continue to monitor the case closely.
This is not the first case of criminal proceedings to brought against Marina Poghosyan.
In 2014, following her work on two criminal cases involving Armenia’s ex-director of the Department of Civil Aviation, Hovhannes Pavel Yeritsyan, she was accused of fraud. The case was later requalified as extortion, alleging that she had tried to extort money from relatives of Hovhannes Pavel Yeritsan. Following 8 months of criminal proceedings, the case was dropped.
Members of the Human Rights House Yerevan give statements on the case of Marina Poghosyan, a human rights defender working against corruption facing charges of extortion in Armenia. Human rights organisations have linked the trial to her organisation’s work in uncovering illegal activities involving officials in the country.
Speaking in the video:
Nina Karapetyants, Helsinki Association for Human Rights
Lara Aharonian, Women’s Resource Center
