DATA ON ARMENIA IN US STATE DEPARTMENT’S REPORT ON TRAFFICKING DON’T
CORRESPOND TO OFFICIAL DATA
YEREVAN, JULY 6, NOYAN TAPAN. On June 3, the US State Department
publicized a report on trafficking, which also contains data
concerning Armenia. According to the report, there is a serious
problem of trafficking in Armenia and as they couldn’t give sufficient
proofs that efforts aimed at struggle against trafficking increased,
this year Armenia was included in the list of special control of
second group in the scale of countries’ classification. Besides, in
accordance with the report, though Article 132 of RA Criminal Code
prohibits trafficking and envisages maximum punishment – 4-8 years’
imprisonment, in most cases courts were guided by Article 232 (article
on pimping envisaging a milder punishment). Only in one out of 16
cases of conviction in 2004 they were guided by the signs of 2003
anti-trafficking article (Article 132) an in the rest of 15 cases
those guilty were convicted by the signs of Article 262 getting much
milder punishment. In order to get explanations on this and some other
information provided by the report Noyan Tapan’s correspondent applied
to RA Prosecutor General’s Office, which in its turn submitted
official data on struggle carried out against this crime in the
republic. According to the data submitted by the Prosecutor’s Office,
12 criminal cases on trafficking, illegal movement for the purpose of
prostitution or other kinds of sexual exploitation, as well as on
involvement in prostitution and its organization have been already
examined from early 2005 by Armenian investigation bodies. According
to the data of RA Prosecutor General’s Office, 11 of them in relation
to 14 persons were sent to the court, 1 criminal case is underway, one
more criminal case was instituted in June, no criminal cases were
quashed or stopped. 13 persons were convicted on such cases by first
instance courts during the past months of 2005. 35 such criminal cases
were examined in 2004 against 20 criminal cases examined the previous
year. 27 out of 35 cases in relation to 47 persons examined in 2004
were sent to the court, 1 case was quashed, 4 were stopped, 3 criminal
cases remained incomplete. And 12 out of 20 criminal cases in relation
to 12 persons examined in 2003 were sent to the court, 2 were quashed,
1 was stopped, 5 remained incomplete. In 2004 36 persons were
convicted on 24 criminal cases on trafficking, illegal movement for
the purpose of prostitution or other kinds of sexual exploitation, as
well as on involvement in prostitution and its organization (Articles
132, 261 and 262 of RA Criminal Code) by RA courts. 15 of them or
41.7% of total number of people convicted on such cases were sentenced
to imprisonment. 26 or 72.2% of the convicts were women. Besides,
according to the data of RA Prosecutor’s Office, 4 complaints were
submitted by prosecutors in relation to 6 persons because of softening
the verdict brought in in 2005. 1 of them was sustained, 2 were
declined by the Court of Cassation. In 2004 a complaint submitted by a
prosecutor on 1 criminal case because of softening the verdict of
first instance court on Article 262 of RA Criminal Code was sustained
and the person was sentenced to imprisonment.