On May 15, Judge Aram Grigoryan extended the detention of Major General Grigory Khachaturov for three months.
After 2018, we have repeatedly witnessed cases initiated by orders from those in power against their adversaries. Those cases were then proclaimed unconstitutional, forgotten or dismissed for lack of evidence.
We have witnessed many times how the authorities persecute the judges that refuse to obey the government’s whims.
It is obvious that the criminal prosecution against General Khachaturov is a politically motivated order. It is solely based on his position, which implies the defense of Armenia and Artsakh. Moreover, the nature of the circumstances of the initiated case suggest that if they were real, the case would have been initiated a long time ago. However, in 2020, Khachaturov was awarded the Military Cross by the same person who ordered this prosecution.
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It is obvious that choosing pretrial detention as a preventive measure is a politically motivated punishment for Khachaturov, not a legal and democratic decision.
We, the civil society of Armenia, the undersigned, strongly condemn the anti-legal, anti-democratic, anti-state decision to detain Khachaturov.
We call on those in power not to exert any pressure on Judge Aram Grigoryan. At the same time, we urge Judge Grigoryan not to give in to any illegal instructions and to act according to the democratic legal principles of human rights protection.
We call on the communities related to jurisprudence to explain and condemn the political persecution of General Khachaturov.
We call on the media to pay special attention to the case against Grigory Khachaturov, highlighting the illegalities related to the case.
We call on the Armenian society to lean on the Second Article of the Constitution, according to which, in the Republic of Armenia, the power belongs to the people. We also urge to protect the First Article, according to which RA is a sovereign, democratic, social state governed by the rule of law.
Manufactured court cases have no place in a democratic country.
The announcement is open for signing, please contact [email protected].
Helsinki Committee of Armenia
Eye for an Eye documentary community
Kamq public initiative for protection of Armenian values
Jaragayt Left Collective
Diplomatic Foundation of Armenia
Political Armenian club
Genesis Armenia think tank/ foundation
Voluntary Movement NGO
Security and Democracy NGO
Alternative Projects Group