Armenia`s ex-minister of defense demands meeting with Human Rights  Defender  

ArmInfo. Former RA Defense Minister David Tonoyan, who is under arrest in the case of "poor  quality missiles," demands a meeting with the Human Rights Defender of Armenia Anahit Manasyan.

"On April 19, 2024 at 14:20, I from a criminal correctional  institution addressed the employees of the Office of the Human Rights  Defender with a demand to meet with the Ombudsman Anahit Manasyan,  and I consider it necessary to draw her attention to the fact that  after being under unjustified and illegal arrest for 2 years and 7  months on the issue of my arrest, the court did not set any time  limits," Tonoyan said.

The former minister noted that the courts in this matter ignore  issues of constitutional rights of the individual, which also  violates precedent decisions of the European Court of Human Rights.  Meanwhile, the annual report of the Human Rights Defender for 2023  mentions in detail the issue of continuing detention as an  exceptional preventive measure. "My decision to contact a human  rights defender is also due to the constitutional requirement that  all domestic remedies have been exhausted before contacting the ECHR,  as well as international human rights organizations. I am preparing  to draw the attention of the Human Rights Defender to issues of the  discriminatory approach manifested in many criminal cases involving  the military," the ex-minister states. 

David Tonoyan is a defendant in a criminal case related to abuses in  the process of supplying ammunition, including missiles.