Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

On January 9, 2020, representatives of Julieta Ghukasyan’s legal successor, HCA Vanadzor Chairman Artur Sakunts, lawyers Arayik Zalyan and Hayk Hakobyan, sent a note to Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan and asked for information on the details of the meeting with Russian military base 102 serviceman Andrey Razgildeyev. 

Earlier, on December 16, 2019, Human Rights Defender’s Office of Armenia informed that on November 27, Arman Tatoyan, together with the Commissioner for the Human Rights of the Russian Federation, visited Russian military base N. 102 located in Gyumri and had a private conversation with Russian serviceman Andrey Razgildeyev, who was serving his sentence there. 

The lawyers asked for information regarding the visit: did they record cases of human rights violations, did they observe the conditions where Razgildeyev was held, were they in line with the norms established by domestic legislation and international documents and does the Defender plan to make a public statement regarding the visit?  

In the established timeframe, the Human Rights Defender responded to HCA Vanadzor. In the response note, Human Rights Defender A. Tatoyan informed that though the visit conducted with the Commissioner for the Human Rights of Russian Federation to Russian military base N. 102 was in the framework of their competencies, it was not intended to observe the conditions where the serviceman deprived of liberty was serving his punishment. The joint visit was of collaborative nature and during the visit they just tried to find out whether Andrey Razgildeyev was deprived of liberty in the territory of military base N. 102, about which, as if, HCA Vanadzor had asked for information. The Human Rights Defender noted that they talked about issues pertaining to the serviceman’s rights. 

We record that the Human Rights Defender has not responded to HCA Vanadzor inquiries that were sent previously and are sent now. The questions set forth by HCA Vanadzor are as follows, 

1. Were there human rights violations?
2. Were the conditions of the place where Razgildeyev is held observed?
3. Does the Human Rights Defender take steps to transfer Andrey Razgildeyev from the Russian military base to the RA penitentiary institution in order to provide a comprehensive and objective investigation? 

Let us remind that the victim’s representatives, among other petitions, petitioned to transfer A. Razgildeyev, held in the Russian military base N. 102, to the RA appropriate penitentiary institution, but both the body conducting the proceedings and the Court rejected it reasoning that it contradicted to the RF legislation.