08 April 2004
Helsinki Rights Groups Decry Beating of Armenian Rights Defender
Letter to Armenia's president, prosecutor general on Danielyan case
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) have written Armenian President Robert Kocharyan and Armenian Prosecutor General Aghvan Ovsepyan calling for "a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation" into the attack on Mikael Danielyan.
Danielyan, the chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association, was attacked and beaten by four assailants on the morning of March 30, according to the April 7 letter.
"We are calling on you to ensure that the principles of the U.N. Declaration on Human Rights Defenders are adhered to in Armenia, and that proper measures to prevent further attacks on human rights defenders will be taken," the letter to Kocharyan and Ovsepyan said.
The International Helsinki Federation represents 42 Helsinki Committees throughout Europe. The Helsinki Committees work together to create a citizens' lobby advocating compliance with the 1975 Helsinki Accords and other international standards.
Following is the text of the letter:
(begin text)
International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights
The Norwegian Helsinki Committee
Vienna, Austria
April 7, 2004
ARMENIA: IHF/NHC OPEN LETTER REGARDING BRUTAL PHYSICAL ATTACK ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENDER MIKAEL DANIELYAN
Prosecutor General, Aghvan Ovsepyan
Republic of Armenia
Via facsimile: +374-1-580 001
President of the Republic of Armenia
HE Robert Kocharyan
Via facsimile: +374-1-521 581
Vienna, 07 April 2004
OPEN LETTER
Dear Mr. President, dear Prosecutor General,
The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Norwegian Helsinki Committee (NHC) are writing this letter to you in order to ensure that a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation will be conducted into the brutal physical attack on Mikael Danielyan, Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association, and the perpetrators are brought to justice.
Mr. Danielyan was attacked and beaten by four assailants, who cornered him in a passageway between two buildings at 09.00 am on 30 March 2004. He was knocked to the ground and beaten for about ten minutes after which the perpetrators fled. Mr. Danielyan was taken to hospital in a serious condition.
As there are indications that the attackers might be connected to state structures, it is important that a prompt and thorough investigation into the case is carried out under the control of the Prosecutor General, who is in a privileged position to conduct all necessary questioning of representatives of the power structures.
We are calling on you to ensure that the principles of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders are adhered to in Armenia, and that proper measures to prevent further attacks on human rights defenders will be taken.
We note already that there has not been a thorough forensic examination of Mr. Danielyan. Such an examination should have been conducted as soon as possible. During the first two days after the attack, the doctors informed the relatives of Mr. Danielyan that he most likely suffered from a brain concussion. Later on they changed their diagnosis and stated that he only suffers from dangerously high blood pressure. This change of diagnosis could be seen as a way of downplaying the seriousness of the case.
If investigations do not lead to criminal charges against those responsible for this crime, a negative signal will be sent to Europe that in Armenia attacks on dissident voices go unpunished. Suspicion will remain that state structures were involved in the violent attack.
We would like to remind you of two other cases of violence against critical voices. In one case the journalist Mark Grigoryan fell victim to a pipe bomb attack against him in October 2002. The investigation was suspended, "because no suspects could be found". In another case, the human rights correspondent Mher Ghalechyan was brutally beaten in the editorial office of an oppositional newspaper in April 2003. A criminal investigation of the incident was launched but while the perpetrators are publicly known, the Prosecutor General's Office closed the case in December 2003, claiming the absence of a corpus delicti.
We hope that these failures are not repeated in the case of Mr. Danielyan.
Sincerely,
Dr. Aaron Rhodes (Executive Director, IHF)
Gunnar M. Karlsen (Deputy Secretary General)
Cc: Hina Jilani, UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General, Council of Europe Bruno Haller, Secretary General, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mr. Solomon Passy, Chairman-in-Office, OSCE OSCE Delegations, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly
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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)
