Armenian courts considering five cases related to ban on entry into  country - Artsvik Minasyan

ArmInfo.It is unclear on what basis the office of the Prime Minister of Armenia has personal  data of citizens, when this is the exclusive prerogative of the National Security Service of the Republic of Armenia. Artsvik Minasyan, secretary of the Armenia opposition faction of the RA National Assembly stated at a press conference on January 25, commenting on the court's decision to oblige the National Security  Service to remove data on Mourad Papazian and Masis Abrahamyan from the list of foreigners considered 'undesirable' on the territory of the Republic of Armenia.

As Minasyan noted, the inclusion of two ARF-members in the list of  'undesirable persons' was done with the direct participation of the  Prime Minister's office. "A very limited circle of state  institutions, including the courts, the President of the Republic of  Armenia, etc., have the right to familiarize themselves with the  personal data of citizens, but not the government, much less the  Cabinet of Ministers," the parliamentarian said. He added that the  National Security Service refuses to provide information regarding  representatives of the ARF, citing the fact that we are talking about  state secrets. At the same time, the oppositionist continued, the  National Security Service did not answer the question on what basis   Mourad Papazian  was banned from entering the country.

The MPnoted that after all this, the lawyers, represented by Ruben  Melikyan, Siranush Sahakyan and Minasyan himself, contacted the  Agency for the Protection of Citizens' Personal Data operating under  the Ministry of Justice, asking how personal data got into the Prime  Minister's Office.Moreover, according to international convention,  the Agency is obliged to provide personal data of citizens. Having  carried out the necessary investigation, the Agency came to the  conclusion that the NSS violated the requirements of the RA  Constitution and obliged the Service to provide the necessary  information so that the same Mourad Papazian could protect his rights  in court. But the NSS Agency ignored this requirement too, filing a  claim with the Administrative Court on the legality of this decision.  At the same time, a group of lawyers is appealing to the  Administrative Court with a demand to declare illegal the decision to  include Papazian  and Abrahamyan on the list of persons 'undesirable'  for entry into the republic. By a court decision, the NSS must remove  both persons from this list.

Minasyan recalled that the National Security Service applied the same  mechanism in relation to numerous persons of Armenian nationality  known for their patriotic activities. According to the current  situation, five similar cases are being considered in the courts,  including, in addition to Papazian and Abrahamyan, Syune Abrahamyan,  Arthur Nzhdeh Karakovoryan and Aslan Aslanyan. The decision of the  Administrative Court regarding Papazian and Abrahamyan, according to  the MP, is very important from the point of view of protecting the  rights of compatriots.

On January 22, the Administrative Court satisfied the claims of ARF  Bureau member, co-chairman of the Coordination Council of Armenian  Organizations in France (CCAF) Mourad Papazian  and the person  responsible for the ARF Hay Dat office in Holland Masis Abrahamyan  against the National Security Service of Armenia, obliging it to  remove data on Mourad Papazian  and Masis Abrahamyan from the  database of foreigners considered 'undesirable' on the territory of  Armenia. In July 2022, it became known that the co-chairman of the  Coordination Council of Armenian Organizations of France (CCAF), a  member of the ARF Dashnaktsuyun Bureau, Mourad Papazian , was banned  from entering Armenia. On July 14, Papazian arrived in Armenia with  his family, but at the "Zvartnots" airport he was denied entry on the  grounds that he was included in the list of 'undesirable' persons. As  reported by the RA government, Papazian was prohibited from entering  Armenia on the basis of Article 8 of the RA Law "On Foreigners". The  reason for the ban, as reported in the press service of the head of  government, was the fact that "Mourad Papazian  was one of the  organizers of the attack on the motorcade of the delegation led by  the Prime Minister on June 1, 2021 at the Armenian Embassy in  France." "Protesters threw various things at the Prime Minister's  motorcade and the situation was overcome only as a result of the  intervention of the French police and security forces," the press  service of the RA Prime Minister clarified. At the same time,  Papazian announced his intention to restore his infringed rights  through the courts. And just two weeks later, on August 1 of the same  year, it became known that Syune Abrahamyan, a member of the Dutch  ARF youth union, and Masis Abrahamyan, the chairman of Hay Dat of  Holland, were aslo declared persona non grata.