Epress.am News from Armenia
Arrested on charges of murder by Ukrainian authorities in 2011, and sentenced to life in prison in November 2013, Republic of Armenia citizen Merab Aloyan (Suslov) was moved to Berdychev prison (in northern Ukraine), where he will serve the rest of his sentence, Helsinki Association for Human Rights President Mikael Danielyan informed members of the press today.
"The European Committee for the Prevention of Torture has admitted that being in Ukraine's prisons is tantamount to torture. If we consider that Merab has serious health problems and he is also under pressure by the administration, our [Armenian] authorities, understanding the current situation in Ukraine, are obliged to do everything to seriously deal with the fate of their citizen. There are many ways, one of which is to visit the prison at least once a month, meet with Merab, to inquire about his condition," said Danielyan.
The human rights defender said he doubts that the changes in Ukraine will reach such a degree that there will be completely different people in that system, who will begin to think differently.
Roman Aloyan, Merab Aloyan's son, also present at today's press conference in Yerevan, said it's been four years since he's seen his father, as he's been banned from entering Ukraine.
"They argue that I pose a threat to the country — we even send parcels with [great] difficulty. Twenty-five percent of my father’s business belongs to me, but I’ve been deprived of the right to deal [with the business]. During the court process, my grandmum and granddad in Kiev were beaten by Artur Aloyan, as a result of which my grandmum's leg was broken and all my granddad's teeth. We have appealed to all the judicial levels in Armenia so that they begin to act, since my father's life is hanging by a thread — there are regular attempts to poison and beat him. Considering the situation, we appealed to the Armenian Embassy for them to take measures, and they appealed to the Ukrainian Embassy in Armenia and we received an answer only 2 years later, that everything is fine," he said.
Danielyan said they made the same request to the RA Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the president, the ombudsman, and the general prosecutor's office, but all their appeals have been unanswered.
"The spinelessness of our [Armenian] authorities appears everywhere, including here. If a government doesn't think about its citizen, then that government is bad. I wouldn't be surprised if I found out if certain circles of the Armenian ruling authorities are tied to the process of seizing Merab's business," concluded the human rights defender.
Aloyan's lawyer Ara Ghazaryan stressed that there are hopes to re-open the case, since at this moment, the general prosecutor, the judge, and the principal defalcating investigator are on the run.
"In this case, the Republic of Armenia cannot influence the case, but if the case is not re-opened, Armenia can ask [Ukraine] to extradite Merab — to serve his sentence in his home country. The final decision will be made by Ukraine's authorities," said the lawyer.