On August 17, 2009 Stepan Voskanyan, the Armenian lawyer of the Javakheti Armenian political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan, attempted to visit his client, who is presently detained in the penal colony number 2 in Rustavi. However, the administration of the establishment refused to allow the meeting of the lawyer and his client, under the pretext that the documents by which the Armenian lawyer previously had the right to meet with Vahagn Chahalyan are no longer valid.
On the same day, Stepan Voskanyan turned to the office of the Public Defender of Georgia, whose officers, having examined the documents submitted by the lawyer, considered the decision of the administration of the colony as completely groundless.
Stepan Voskanyan also submitted a written complaint on prohibition of the meeting with his client addressed to Ombudsman Sozar Subari and the administration of Rustavi colony.
«Yerkir» Union considers the decision deny Vahagn Chahalyan the right to meet his lawyer as a next shameful violation of human rights of the Javakheti political activist, aimed at preventing the proper preparation for the trial hearings of the Chakhalyan case that will be resumed on September 18 of this year. By this step the Georgian authorities also seek to restrict significantly Vahagn Chahalyan’s access to information from the Armenian mass-media, which was provided to him by his Armenian lawyer during his visits.
Taking into account the above-stated situation, the «Yerkir» Union calls on the Public Defender of Georgia Sozar Subari, the international human rights organizations, accredited in Georgia, the international organizations and diplomatic missions to provide a proper assessment of this flagrant violation by the Georgian authorities of the rights of the Javakheti political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan, as well as to eliminate the consequences of this step by ensuring in the future that the defendant has an unimpeded access of to his lawyer |
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