Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

The Republic of Armenia is preparing to extradite Emil Torosyan, a citizen of the Russian Federation of Armenian descent. Last week, the citizen applied to the Migration and Citizenship Service with a request to seek asylum. The Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Armenia, without waiting for the Migration Service to receive the application and initiate proceedings on it, has made a decision to extradite E. Torosyan, which will lead to a gross violation of his rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. 

It is noteworthy that Emil Torosyan is of Armenian origin, has all the rights and opportunities to obtain citizenship, and submitted an application for citizenship back in September, but the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Armenia did not wait until measures were taken to resolve the two legal processes: obtaining citizenship and seeking asylum.

We demand that the General Prosecutor's Office of the Republic of Armenia immediately halt the extradition process of Emil Torosyan, since after extradition, the Republic of Armenia will also bear responsibility for possible torture of E. Torosyan in the Russian Federation.

Let us recall that in the event of extradition, Article 3 of the European Convention - the absolute right to be free from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment - will be violated, since in the requesting state, the Russian Federation, human rights, including the absolute right to be free from torture, are being violated massively and with impunity.