Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor

On the morning of October 21, 2024, Roman Shklover, a citizen of the Russian Federation, called HCAV and said that he had received a call from the police and was invited to the department. Shklover voluntarily presented himself to the Protection Division of Yerevan Metro of the RA Police, on the basis of the investigation announced by the Russian law enforcement officers.

Samson Galstyan, the lawyer of HCAV, went to the relevant police department in order to provide legal support on the spot and undertook the protection of the latter's rights and freedoms. 

Shklover was arrested for a crime that is not considered a criminal act in Armenia. According to the decision of the law enforcement authorities, the latter was transferred to the place of detention of the arrested. The arrest of Shklover and other foreigners is the consequence of the illegal mutual assistance agreement between the CIS countries.

HCAV reaffirms its demand: RA should annul the mutual assistance agreement, because other dictatorial member states of the agreement initiate criminal cases with political motives, a search is announced, the execution of which in the territory of the Republic of Armenia be it arrest or detention, will be a gross violation of human rights by the Republic of Armenia. Moreover, in case of extradition of these persons, RA will endanger their safety and life. According to the RA Constitution, domestic legislation and international treaties and conventions ratified by the RA, no-one can be extradited to a foreign country, even if it is that person’s country of citizenship, when there are substantial grounds for believing that he/she would be in danger of being subjected to torture, cruel, inhuman or degrading punishment or treatment.

*At the same time, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor states that all foreign nationals or persons without citizenship, who were persecuted in their country due to their beliefs and currently face the legal issue of being extradited by the RA, can apply to the Organization to get legal support.

To get legal support, the mentioned persons can call the Organization’s lawyers at the numbers below:

093-81-92-75

094-04-22-68