Epress.am News from Armenia
An Armenian Yazidi family is asking the Prime Minister of Armenia to make sure false charges against their son Yuri Amaryan are dropped and employees of the RA Judicial Acts Compulsory Enforcement Service (JACES) are held responsible for using abusive language and physical violence against the members of the family.
The Amaryans held a protest today, July 9, in front of the RA Government building and passed on a letter to PM Hovik Abrahamyan describing the details of the incident. Authorities, the family claims, have violated their civil rights, as well as “discriminated against Yazidi people.” The protest participants held posters that read “Everyone shall be equal before the law,” citing Article 14 of the RA Constitution.
Nazik Amaryan, Yuri Amaryan's mother, told Epress.am that four JACES employees beat her son, as well as hit her when evicting the family from their home. Without providing first aid to her son, the woman claimed, law enforcement officers took Yuri Amaryan into custody and convinced him not to file charges. However, later authorities initiated a criminal case against the man, accusing him of using violence against a representative of authorities. Amaryan refused the services of a public defender who, as stated by the accused, urged him to admit guilt in order to get a mild punishment.
The Amaryans are also displeased with the services of the forensic medical examiner, who according to Nazik Amaryan, did not even classify her son's and her injuries as mild, whereas the JACES' employee's finger fracture was considered “severe.”
Note, Yuri Amaryan denies hitting the employee. The latter, the accused claims, injured his finger when hitting Amaryan on the back with a handgun.
During the protest action today, Nazik Amaryan told reporters the family was given dormitory accommodation after the earthquake in Gyumri in 1988. However, the building was subsequently purchased, after which the family received an eviction notice. On eviction day, the Amaryans asked JACES employees to allow them to transfer some of their furniture the next day; however, the state representatives made them rush.
“What son would not defend [his mother] when they hit her, curse her right before his eyes? What's Yura guilty of? Why is he being framed? They drew a weapon on him thrice. Three of them attacked my son. What, Yura is Yazidi, so no one has his back?” the woman protested.
The family's protest action was also attended by a number of members of the Armenian Yazidi community. Boris Murazi, president of Sinjar Yazidi National Union, said in interview with Epress.am that if Armenian authorities did not eliminate discrimination against Yazidi people, community members would file a complaint with the European Court of Human Rights.