Georgia concerned over impending Chakhalyan hearing at ECHR

PanARMENIAN.Net - Georgia is concerned over the impending hearing of illegally arrested Javakhk political activist Vahagn Chakhalyan case at European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the coordinator of Yerkir Union of NGOs for Repatriation and Settlement said.

As Robert Tatoyan told a news conference in Yerevan, “this will be the first discussion of Javakhk Armenians’ problems at European Court, with the issue taken from legal to political sphere. Georgia will have to address the issues it assumed responsibility for, specifically the Armenian minorities-related ones as well as the situation of Armenian Church in Georgia.”

“For several times, local authorities suggested Chakhalyan plead guilty, appealing to Georgian President Mikheil Saakashvili for pardon, yet the activist refused to resort to such a step,” Tatoyan said.

Vahagn Chakhalyan was arrested in summer 2008 on accusations of possession of weapons and incitement to disorders and sentenced to 10 years in prison. On October 5, 2011, Chakhalyan announced hunger strike demanding to put an end to illegal pressure on him and improve prison conditions. On October 12 he stopped the hunger strike in respect for call of the head of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia.