Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

Based on the alarm raised by Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor, three RA citizens, who were abroad, managed to return to Armenia. Those persons’ relatives had applied to HCA Vanadzor.

After attempts to solve the problem through RA state structures, HCA Vanadzor resident E.U. applied to HCA Vanadzor requesting to help return to Armenia his daughter and son-in-law, who were in China. After two weeks of futile attempts to contact them, on 11 June 2021, E.U. applied to HCA Vanadzor and stated that according to his information, his daughter and son-in-law were at the migration service of China, but he did not manage to find out why they had been taken there and in what conditions they were. He contacted the RA Ambassador to China and even bought their return tickets, and yet, after electronically sending the tickets to the RA Embassy, they still did not manage to organize their return.

On 14 June 2021, HCA Vanadzor sent a letter to the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs. On June 18, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed that after receiving the letter, the RA Embassy in China got in touch with both the RA citizens in China and their relatives, and then organized their return. The RA citizens returned to Armenia on June 19. 

In another similar case, an 18-year-old RA citizen appeared on the territory of Georgia. 

On 25 May 2021, the boy’s mother applied to HCA Vanadzor and informed that her son had fallen victim to deceit, as a result of which he had illegally appeared in the territory of Georgia on April 28. When his mother applied to HCA Vanadzor, he was in the territory of the World Vision Georgia organization. His mother stated that the RA law enforcement bodies were also aware of the problem and that she had tried to bring her son back to Armenia with their help, but she had not reached any results for months on end. 

Back on 31 May 2021, HCA Vanadzor applied to the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs asking to organize the boy’s immediate return. In the same letter, HCA Vanadzor also asked for information on the measures taken so far.

On June 25, the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs Consular Department informed that the criminal case initiated against the boy in Georgia had been discontinued, he had been given a certificate of return and returned to Armenia on June 24.

In the frame of this case, HCA Vanadzor made a crime report to the RA Prosecutor General’s Office. Lori Regional Investigative Department of the RA Investigative Committee informed that a criminal case had been initiated for illegally crossing the border, in the frame of which, HCA Vanadzor report on abduction would also be a subject of investigation.