ArmInfo.29 public organizations of Armenia issued a statement expressing their concern over the criminal prosecution against a member of the New Armenia movement Andreas Ghukasyan.
According to the organizations, the Armenian authorities "punish" Andreas Ghukasyan for his political views. Public organizations demand from the Armenian authorities to release Ghukasyan and stop persecution in his respect. They also emphasize the attention of international structures to the current situation. The authors of the statement require the European Court of Human Rights to show consistency and responsibility in the investigation of cases with political implication, especially if these cases are on the agenda.
Andreas Ghukasyan and 8 others were charged with organizing and participating in mass riots on July 29, 2016. Currently, Ghukasyan is in prison, where he is serving his sentence. The Court of Appeal rejected the claim of the lawyer Gukasyan about changing the measure of restraint of the latter for the fact that Ghukasayan intended to continue his opposition activities on freedom. On February 23, 2017, the European Court of Human Rights registered the complaint of Andreas Ghukasyan. For the first time in the complaint brought against the Republic of Armenia, the issue of violation of Article 18 of the Convention was raised, which is intended to prohibit the abuse of state power against political opponents. The ECHR put the investigation of the complaint of Ghukasyan on the agenda and intended to send questions to the Government of Armenia in connection with these violations. However, as the issues were not addressed to the Government of Armenia, there was concern that the delay is due to the influence of Armenian lawyers working in the ECHR.