Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

On March 22, 2019, Lori region Governor Andrey Ghukasyan informed HCA Vanadzor lawyer Arayik Zalyan that a disciplinary penalty in the form of “a severe reprimand” was applied to Lernavan school headmaster Paytsar Vardanyan.

The Governor made this decision after conducting an examination based on the complaint submitted by school employees, when HCA Vanadzor undertook Lernavan school employees N.G.’s and G.G.’s rights protection and applied to the Governor with the matter of headmaster P. Vardanyan’s illegal prosecution against them.

As the employees inform, the headmaster’s prosecutions began in May 2018 because of their participation in protests.  The relationship between them became even more tensed when the employees applied to HCA Vanadzor seeking protection of their rights and lawyer A. Zalyan made a query to the headmaster claiming certain documents pertaining to the case.

It should be noted that for months on end, P. Vardanyan avoided receiving the lawyer’s queries and responded to them only after complaints were presented to superior authorities.

On March 7, 2019, HCA Vanadzor lawyer A. Zalyan applied to the RA Minister of Education and Science Arayik Harutyunyan and Lori region Governor Andrey Ghukasyan. The lawyer informed about P. Vardanyan’s illegal actions and claimed to give the headmaster’s actions a legal assessment and discuss the matter of bringing her to liability.  

Earlier, HCA Vanadzor  presented employee G.G.’s crime report on the headmaster’s illegal actions to the RA Prosecutor General. On December 21, 2018, in Spitak Police Division, a criminal case was initiated against P. Vardanyan under Article 179 § 3 point 1 of the RA Criminal Code (squandering or embezzlement in a significant amount).  

In his response dated March 22, 2019, Governor A. Ghukasyan informed that the facts of P. Vardanyan’s illegitimate conduct would be touched upon after the criminal case was completed and the judicial act had entered into legal force.