Committees Granting Release On Parole Are Not Transparent

On March 25 five human rights organizations issued the following statement

25.03.2009

We, the representatives of non-governmental organizations, express our concern about the activities of “Independent committees on issues of release on parole or replacement of the sentence with less strict one”.

Particularly the following problems are of a concern,

• Exact standards are not defined in the documents regulating the decision making process of the Committees,
• Decisions of the Committees cannot be appealed,
• Many members of the Committees, including heads of the Committees, are members of defense and law enforcement agencies.

On March 20, 2009 the Committee responsible for “Abovyan”, “Nubarashen”, “Vardashen”, and “Erebuni” penitentiary institutions discussed the issue of release on parole of a number of convicts, including chief editor of “Zhamanak Yerevan” newspaper, Arman Babajanyan. As one of the members of the Committee, attorney Nikolay Baghdasaryan has stated, according to the protocol of a secret ballot, 4 members voted for A. Babajanyan’s release on parole, and 3 voted against. But later it was announced that 2 members voted for and 5 members against the motion to release A. Babajanyan on parole.

This situation shows once more that the Committees operate in a non-transparent and bias way. Particularly, this is obvious by the decisions made about granting A. Babajanyan release on parole. This time the decision was made in suspicious conditions, which gives some grounds to believe that the denial had a political basis.

We, undersigned NGOs, demand:

• To revise the legislation which regulates activities of Committees granting release on parole
• To revise the issue of release on parole of Arman Babajanyan and provide impartial, transparent and truthful decision making process.

“Helsinki Committee of Armenia” NGO
Avetik Ishkhanyan

“Civil Society Institute” NGO
Arman Danielyan

“Against Violation of Law” NGO
Michael Aramyan

“Cooperation for Democracy Centre” NGO
Stepan Danielyan

“Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Vanadzor“ NGO
Arthur Sakunts