Category: 2019

                                        Thursday, 
Tsarukian Ignores Summons For Interrogation
        • Gayane Saribekian
Armenia -- Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukian arrives for a 
parliament session in Yerevan, May 29, 2019.
An Armenian law-enforcement agency on Thursday condemned Prosperous Armenia 
Party (BHK) leader Gagik Tsarukian for ignoring a summons from its officials 
investigating an arson attack reported ahead of a local election won by a 
BHK-backed candidate.
The Investigative Committee planned to question Tsarukian as a witness in the 
case on Wednesday evening. The wealthy businessman leading Armenia’s largest 
parliamentary opposition force did not show up for the interrogation.
A spokeswoman for the committee, Naira Harutiunian, claimed that Tsarukian 
ripped up the summons after it was handed to him by law-enforcement officials 
on Tuesday.
“I think that as a member of the parliament Mr. Tsarukian had no right to 
behave like that because his action was disrespectful towards law-enforcement 
bodies,” she told RFE/RL’s Armenian service.
Harutiunian would not say whether the investigators will try to question 
Tsarukian again and what they will do if he ignores another summons. She also 
declined to explain why they want to talk to him in connection with the arson 
attack reported one day before Sunday s tense mayoral election in Abovian, a 
town just north of Yerevan that has long been the tycoon’s political stronghold.
Abovian’s pro-Tsarukian incumbent mayor, Vahagn Gevorgian, narrowly defeated 
his main challenger representing Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s Civil 
Contract party. The latter’s election campaign manager, Vahan Saribekian, said 
his car and apartment door were set on fire early on Saturday. He blamed the 
BHK for the attack.
The BHK denied any responsibility for it. Tsarukian and his associates 
suggested that the incident was faked for political purposes.
“The prime minister must order [law-enforcement authorities] to solve that 
case,” Tsarukian told reporters on Monday.
“We continue to suspect that what happened in Abovian was a stage-managed 
show,” Naira Zohrabian, a senior BHK figure, said on Thursday. She challenged 
the Armenian police to “dispel or confirm our concerns.”
Pashinian’s relations with Tsarukian have been tense since April. In May, the 
pro-government majority in Armenia’s parliament implicitly threatened to strip 
Tsarukian of his parliament seat, saying that his entrepreneurial activities 
may be illegal. The BHK leader, who is one of Armenia’s richest men, insisted 
that he complies with a constitutional provision that bars lawmakers from 
directly engaging in business.
EU Boosts Aid To Armenia
BELGIUM -- Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian (L) is welcomed by EU 
Foreign Policy chief Federica Mogherini at the start of an EU-Armenia 
Partnership Council meeting in Brussels, .
The European Union on Thursday announced 25 million euros ($28 million) in 
additional assistance to Armenia and expressed its readiness to finance 
large-scale infrastructure projects proposed by the Armenian government.
The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, hailed “democratic reforms” 
implemented in Armenia after chairing, together with Armenian Foreign Minister 
Zohrab Mnatsakanian, a second session of the EU-Armenia Partnership Council.
The council is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the landmark 
Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) signed by the two sides 
in 2017.
The CEPA offers the South Caucasus state the prospect of a closer relationship 
with the EU in return for major political and economic reforms. It commits 
Yerevan to gradually “approximating” Armenian economic laws and regulations to 
the EU’s legal framework.
“The implementation of our agreement is proceeding well,” Mogherini told a 
joint news conference with Mnatsakanian in Brussels. “The dialogue, cooperation 
and partnership we have on different issues … is excellent, and we also have 
good plans for the future.”
“Based on the country’s performance, democratic reforms during the last year, 
the EU will allocate an additional 25 million euros this year, bringing the 
total allocation for this year to 65 million euros, to support Armenia in its 
reforms and in implementing effectively our agreement,” Mogherini said.
She said the EU is also “identifying funding possibilities for the priority 
projects that Armenia has recently presented to the European Commission.” They 
relate to not only public infrastructures but also energy efficiency, police 
reform and women’s rights, she added.
BELGIUM -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (L) and the President of the 
European Council Donald Tusk arrive for a joint statement to the media 
following their meeting in Brussels, March 5, 2019
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian requested EU funding for his “mega projects” 
when he visited Brussels in March. Pashinian said after that trip that the EU 
is ready to support them provided that they are co-financed by the Armenian 
government.
The head of the EU Delegation in Yerevan, Piotr Switalski, said last month that 
some of these projects are “very costly and very complicated.” “But we are very 
seriously considering how best to implement them,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian 
service.
According to Mogherini, the EU is also ready to provide “substantial support” 
for sweeping judicial reforms planned by the Pashinian administration. “We 
support the ongoing work aimed at a comprehensive judicial reform in Armenia in 
line with the Armenian constitution and with international standards,” she 
said. “An independent, efficient and accountable judiciary benefits all.”
Mnatsakanian described the Partnership Council meeting as “very productive.” He 
reaffirmed Yerevan’s commitment to closer ties with the EU, saying that Armenia 
and the 28-nation bloc share a “common civilizational heritage” and commitment 
to democracy.
Pashinian has also repeatedly stressed the importance of closer ties with the 
EU for Armenia. He has made clear at the same time that his country will remain 
part of the Russian-led alliances of former Soviet republics.
Constitutional Court Nominee Vows Impartiality
        • Astghik Bedevian
        • Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Vahe Grigorian, a nominee to the Constitutional Court, talks to 
journalists, Yerevan, .
President Armen Sarkissian’s latest nominee to the Constitutional Court said on 
Thursday that his warm relations with members of Armenia’s new ruling elite 
would not influence his judicial activities.
Sarkissian again nominated lawyer Vahe Grigorian for a vacant seat in the 
country’s highest court late last month after the current Armenian parliament 
rejected two other candidates chosen by him.
The head of state first proposed Grigorian’s candidacy last fall. The then 
Armenian parliament dominated by supporters of the former government refused to 
approve it.
Grigorian is believed to enjoy the backing of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
and the ruling My Step alliance, which holds a two-thirds majority in the 
current National Assembly. My Step representatives say, however, that the 
parliament majority’s support for his appointment is not a forgone conclusion. 
The parliament is due to debate and vote on the nomination next week.
Grigorian met with deputies from the opposition Bright Armenia Party (LHK) on 
Wednesday. The LHK leader, Edmon Marukian, voiced misgivings about the nominee 
after the meeting.
In particular, Marukian pointed to some lawyers’ belief that the Armenian 
constitution does not allow the president to nominate the same person for a 
second time. He also said that Grigorian’s “close ties with the authorities” 
could “inhibit” the would-be judge.
Grigorian dismissed such concerns, while acknowledging his friendly rapport 
with many members of Pashinian’s political team.
“Regarding those from the ruling majority who know me personally, I didn’t meet 
them first at barbecue parties,” he told reporters after meeting with My Step 
deputies on Thursday. “When I met them for the first time they didn’t hold any 
state positions. I have worked with many people from all political circles, not 
just My Step. I met with some of those people in prison. When I was in prison 
they dealt with [Grigorian’s case.]”
“It’s very normal when a person trusts someone they know,” said Grigorian. “I 
cannot castigate anyone for that.”
Grigorian went on to insist as a Constitutional Court judge he would not be 
influenced by these relationships in any way. “Any decision will be my 
decision,” he said. “I will never try to justify myself by saying that I was 
under [government] pressure. As soon as I find myself under pressure I will 
cease to be a judge, if I am elected a judge.”
Grigorian also made no secret of his readiness to become the Constitutional 
Court’s new chairman. “It’s up to the judges to decide. I’m ready [for that 
role,]” he said.
The current court chairman, Hrayr Tovmasian, is a former justice minister and 
senior lawmaker who represented the former ruling Republican Party (HHK). The 
HHK-controlled parliament named him to head the court in March 2018.
Another Armenian Judicial Official Resigns
Armenia -- The main meeting room of the Supreme Judicial Council, Yerevan, 
April 10, 2019.
Yet another member of the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), a state body 
overseeing Armenia’s courts, stepped down on Thursday.
The official, Armen Khachatrian, gave no reason for the move in his letter of 
resignation publicized by the SJC. Khachatrian said only that he will “continue 
to support the process of judicial reforms” in his other capacity as chairman 
of Armenia’s Bankruptcy Court.
Khachatrian was elected to the newly established SJC by an assembly of 
Armenia’s judges in March 2018. He is the third member of the judicial watchdog 
to resign in the last three weeks.
The SJC chairman, Gagik Harutiunian, tendered his resignation on May 24, citing 
“ongoing developments relating to the judicial authority” and his “concerns 
expressed in that regard.” His temporary replacement, Gevorg Danielian, quit on 
June 7.
The concerns cited by Harutiunian followed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s May 
19 appeal to his supporters to block the entrances to all court buildings in 
the country. The appeal came the day after a Yerevan court ordered former 
President Robert Kocharian released from jail pending the outcome of his trial 
on coup and corruption charges. The court’s decision angered many allies and 
supporters of Pashinian.
Speaking at a May 20 meeting with senior state officials, Pashinian said that 
Armenian courts remain linked to “the former corrupt system” and distrusted by 
the population. He announced plans for a mandatory “vetting” of all judges.
Harutiunian was among the officials invited to the emergency meeting. However, 
he did not attend it because of being unable to leave the SJC building in 
downtown Yerevan blockaded by government loyalists.
Press Review
“Zhoghovurd” says it is only natural that pro-government parliamentarians 
“protect the interests of the executive branch.” “State officials now need 
support more than ever before because often times artificial tensions are 
created towards state officials,” writes the paper. “On the other hand, we have 
a situation where police officers can beat up a plainclothes man. What is 
bewildering is that when a representative of the [opposition] Bright Armenia 
party, Gevorg Gorgisian, reported the incident he was countered by [fellow 
lawmaker] Nikolay Baghdasarian of the [ruling] My Step bloc. The latter 
insisted that such things are not possible in the New Armenia. However, the 
police did not deny the incident and an internal inquiry is now underway.”
“Aravot” continues to slam a minibus driver in Yerevan who was fired after 
ignoring a commuter’s demand to stop smoking. The driver now wants to meet with 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and present his side of the story. The paper 
says that the government should not bow to pressures from any citizens flouting 
laws. It says Pashinian’s government already made a serious mistake when it 
forgave thousands of car owners that had refused to pay fines imposed on them 
for violations of traffic rules. Citizens must have no doubts that any 
delinquent behavior will have serious consequences for them, concludes the 
paper.
“Zhamanak” wonders whether former President Serzh Sarkisian’s visits to 
Nagorno-Karabakh are meant to help ward off “external dangers” facing the 
Armenians or “exert or generate pressure on the new Armenian authorities from 
there.” The paper also speculates that “some Russian circles” are trying to 
gain a foothold in Karabakh after being driven out of Armenia. “It is the same 
circles that have been targeting the Armenian velvet revolution for quite a 
while, gently blaming Serzh Sarkisian in the process for bringing things to 
such a conclusion,” it says. “They are openly saying that the revolution would 
not have happened had he not opted for a third term in office.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

FORUM 18 NEWS SERVICE, Oslo, Norway
The right to believe, to worship and witness
The right to change one's belief or religion
The right to join together and express one's belief
=================================================
Friday 
AZERBAIJAN: Appeals fail against illegal raids, fines
Baptist Pastor from Aliabad Hamid Shabanov has failed to overturn a fine
for hosting religious meetings without compulsory state permission. The
Constitutional Court again rejected his appeal. Four Jehovah's Witnesses
failed in their civil suit seeking redress for the police's illegal entry
without a court order or search warrant, their "detention, verbal insults
and humiliation", and literature seizure.
AZERBAIJAN: Appeals fail against illegal raids, fines
By Felix Corley, Forum 18
Baptist Pastor Hamid Shabanov, from the town of Aliabad in the northern
Zaqatala District, failed for the second time through the Constitutional
Court in the capital Baku to overturn a fine handed down in December 2016
for hosting religious meetings without the compulsory state permission. The
Court refused to consider his further appeal, the Court told Forum 18.
Pastor Shabanov told Forum 18 he had received the Constitutional Court
letter rejecting his further appeal and was consulting other Baptist church
leaders over what further action to take over the raid and fine which he
insists were "illegal" (see below).
Pastor Shabanov and another Baptist were each fined more than three months'
average wages for those in formal work after the 2016 police raid on a
worship meeting in the pastor's home. "I had to pay the fine," Pastor
Shabanov told Forum 18 from Aliabad on 14 June. "The authorities won't
allow our church to meet all together in one place" (see below).
The Aliabad Baptist church has been seeking registration in vain since 1994
and has faced repeated police raids and the jailing of two pastors,
including Pastor Shabanov (see below).
The Aliabad Baptist church does not have the 50 adult members required in
law since 2011 to apply for state permission to exist. This requirement
bans all small religious communities from being allowed to exist and opens
up any small communities that meet for worship to punishment.
(
 )
At least two – and possibly all three – of the Muslims fined up to four
months' average wages to punish them for holding a religious meeting in a
home in the central town of Agsu have failed in their appeals (see below).
Four Jehovah's Witnesses from the north-western town of Mingachevir have
failed in their appeal in a civil suit against an illegal 2016 police raid
on a worship meeting. The four had been seeking redress for the police's
illegal entry into the home of one of the four without a court order or
search warrant, their "detention, verbal insults and humiliation", and
seizure of personal literature. The home owner was also fined (see below).
Raids on people meeting for worship have been frequent in recent years.
However, the authorities appear to have launched fewer such raids on
worship meetings in 2019 so far, Forum 18 notes. Raids on individuals'
homes and subsequent fines have continued (see forthcoming article).
Jehovah's Witnesses have lodged ten appeals to international bodies against
the Azerbaijani government's earlier raids on meetings for worship. Four
cases have been lodged to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg,
and six complaints to the United Nations Human Rights Committee. Muslim
readers of the works of the late Turkish theologian Said Nursi also lodged
a case to the European Court of Human Rights about a massive police raid on
a Baku religious study meeting in  2015 and subsequent punishments (see
forthcoming F18News article).
Aliabad: The Church that cannot meet
Baptist Pastor Hamid Shabanov, from the town of Aliabad in the northern
Zaqatala [Zakatala] District, failed for the second time through the
Constitutional Court in the capital Baku to overturn a fine handed down in
December 2016 for hosting religious meetings without the compulsory state
permission.
The Aliabad Baptist Church has been seeking registration – in vain –
since 1994. Former prisoner of conscience Pastor Shabanov was held in
pre-trial detention from June to November 2008. In February 2009 he was
given a two-year suspended sentence on charges he and his fellow-Baptists
insisted were fabricated. He was arrested a month after another Aliabad
Pastor, Zaur Balaev, was freed after nearly a year in prison on false
charges. 
(
 )
The December 2016 fines on Pastor Shabanov and another church member Mehman
Agamammadov followed a November 2016 raid by police and the local State
Committee official on an "illegal" meeting for prayer in Pastor Shabanov's
home. Police detained more than 30 adults and children present, after which
16 women and 10 men were questioned at the local police station until 10 pm
at night. Police sent confiscated religious literature to the State
Committee in Baku for alleged "expert analysis". The literature was all
returned the following month.
Their Baptist church in Aliabad has been seeking registration – in vain
– since 1994 
(
 ). Police
and state officials have warned church members not to meet. "If we meet
again for worship, we'll get double the fine," Pastor Shabanov told Forum
18 in February 2018 officials had warned them.
(
 )
Pastor Shabanov says that the Church still cannot meet. "The authorities
won't allow our church to meet all together in one place," he told Forum 18
on . "They'll fine us again if we do so."
Ilqar Valiyev, the local official of the State Committee for Work with
Religious Organisations in Zaqatala, refused to discuss anything with Forum
18 on 12 June. He insisted all enquiries should be directed to the State
Committee in Baku and put the phone down.
The Aliabad Baptist church does not have enough members now to apply for
registration and thus have state permission to exist and has been
repeatedly punished and threatened since its foundation in the early 1990s.
In a 15-minute hearing on 12 December 2016, Zaqatala District Court found
both Pastor Shabanov and Agamammadov guilty and fined them each the minimum
fine, 1,500 Manats, more than three months' average wages for those in
formal work. Both Baptists were punished under Administrative Code Article
515.0.2 ("Violating legislation on holding religious meetings, marches, and
other religious ceremonies").
(
 )
Pastor Shabanov managed to get the written decision only in January 2017.
Agamammadov never received the written decision, despite repeated attempts
to get it from the court.
Aliabad: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court appeals fail
Pastor Shabanov lodged his appeal to the Constitutional Court in October
2017 after Sheki Appeal Court refused in June 2017 to extend the period for
him to lodge his appeal against the December 2016 fine.
On 19 January 2018, Judge Kamran Shafiyev of Azerbaijan's Constitutional
Court rejected Pastor Shabanov's constitutional complaint, writing to him
on 31 January 2018 to tell him it would not be considering his further
appeal against the December 2016 fine.
(
 )
Pastor Shabanov then appealed to Azerbaijan's Supreme Court. However, on 28
August 2018, Judge Aziz Seyidov rejected his appeal, according to the
decision seen by Forum 18. The Judge argued that, although the
Administrative Code allows for appeals against decisions in administrative
cases, no law has been enacted allowing for such appeals to be heard in the
Supreme Court.
Pastor Shabanov then decided to appeal again to the Constitutional Court,
where his appeal arrived on 24 April 2019.
Pastor Shabanov argued that its earlier rejection of his appeal had been
"illegal". "This indicates that the judges of the Constitutional Court do
not know the laws and are busy rejecting all complaints sent to the
Constitutional Court under various pretexts," Pastor Shabanov wrote to the
Constitutional Court. "As a result, people's constitutional rights are not
reinstated." He asked to be allowed to submit an appeal to the Court.
However, on 6 May the Constitutional Court wrote to Pastor Shabanov
refusing to consider the case again. "The administration of the Court told
him it had already considered the case," a Constitutional Court official
told Forum 18 on 14 June. "His second appeal was turned down and no hearing
was needed."
The Court official stressed that under the law on the Constitutional Court,
it can only consider appeals against Supreme Court decisions, not decisions
by appeal courts.
Pastor Shabanov confirmed he had received the Constitutional Court's May
letter and was consulting other Baptist church leaders over what further
action to take. "The raid and fine were illegal," he insisted to Forum 18.
Agsu: Two, possibly three appeals fail
Two of the three Muslims fined up to four months' average wages to punish
them for holding a religious meeting in a home in the central town of Agsu
have failed in their appeals. Confusion surrounds whether the third also
failed.
In separate hearings Sheki Appeal Court left two decisions unchanged: on 2
November 2018, Judge Rafail Aliyev rejected Rauf Majidov's appeal against
his fine of three months' average wages for those in formal work for an
"illegal" religious meeting. Similarly, on 8 November 2018 Judge Imanverdi
Shukurov rejected Vuqar Mammadov's appeal.
On 1 November 2018, Judge Mirbahaddin Huseynov heard the appeal by Qambar
Zeynalov against his fine of four months' average wages for those in formal
work for an "illegal" religious meeting. Court records state that the Judge
changed the lower court decision, ruling that it was "not in line with the
facts".
However, an assistant to Judge Huseynov told Forum 18 from Sheki Appeal
Court on 14 June that the Judge had left the lower court decision in
Zeynalov's case unchanged.
Officials of the State Committee for Work with Religious Organisations and
the State Security Service (SSS) secret police raided Mammadov's home in
Agsu on 17 September 2018. They claimed the three men were holding an
"illegal" religious meeting. On 21 September 2018, Agsu District Court
found all three Muslims guilty under Administrative Code Article 515.0.2
("Violating legislation on holding religious meetings, marches, and other
religious ceremonies"). The Judge fined Zeynalov the maximum 2,000 Manats.
The other two men were fined 1,700 and 1,500 Manats.
(
 )
Mingachevir: Challenge to illegal police raid fails
On 18 September 2018, Judge Elchin Huseynov of Sheki Appeal Court rejected
a civil case brought by four Jehovah's Witnesses, Eldar Aliyev, Maryam
Aliyeva, Elchin Bakirov and Bahruz Kerimov, against an illegal police raid
on a worship meeting, according to the decision seen by Forum 18.
Police had raided a Jehovah's Witness meeting in Aliyev's home in the
north-western town of Mingachevir on 9 January 2016. Mingachevir City Court
then fined Aliyev 1,500 Manats in March 2016, and Sheki Appeal Court upheld
the fine the following month.
(
 )
The four lodged a civil suit to Mingachevir City Court, seeking redress for
the police's illegal entry into Aliyev's home without a court order or
search warrant, their "detention, verbal insults and humiliation", and
seizure of personal literature. But the court rejected the suit on 25 May
2018. (END)
Full reports on freedom of thought, conscience and belief in Azerbaijan
(
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For more background, see Forum 18's Azerbaijan religious freedom survey
(
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Forum 18's compilation of Organisation for Security and Co-operation in
Europe (OSCE) freedom of religion or belief commitments
(
 )
A printer-friendly map of Azerbaijan
(
 )
Follow us on Twitter @Forum_18 
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(
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