Lawyer of mother of three to appeal verdict 

ArmInfo.  Lawyer Zaruhi Postanjyan, representing the interests of Liana Harutyunyan, a mother of three who has been jailed for three months, is appealing this court verdict  in three instances.

As Postanjyan reported on her Facebook page, she has filed lawsuits  in the Yerevan Criminal Court of General Jurisdiction of the First  Instance, the Criminal Court of Appeal and the European Court of  Human Rights (ECHR), and all three complaints are in process.

She also reported that she has prepared letters of recommendation  that must be signed by MPs wishing to petition for a change in  Liana's preventive measure.

Postanjyan also noted that a separate motion was filed with the  Yerevan Criminal Court of First Instance to convene an urgent  hearing, explaining that after the repressive decision was made, the  situation changed, and the court that made this decision is obliged  to review it in light of its illegality.

Meanwhile, the lawyer recalled that the claims were filed in response  to the actions of Judge Arshak Matevosyan, who, without sufficient  grounds, changed the preventive measure for Liana Harutyunyan from a  ban on absence to detention for three months.

The lawyer drew attention to the fact that the detention of Liana  Harutyunyan and her eight-month-old child violates several  fundamental rights protected by both the Constitution of Armenia and  international norms, including the principle of ensuring the best  interests of the child, the right to care and protection of life and  health. Postanjyan is confident that the judge's specific goal is to  punish Liana for the statements she made and the justification for  changing the preventive measure by the fact that Liana did not appear  at the court hearing on June 16, 2025, without a good reason, thereby  allegedly evading the performance of her duties, is groundless.

"This justification is absolutely not true, since Judge Arshak  Matevosyan was well aware that Liana Harutyunyan was deprived of a  defense attorney and demanded that she be provided with one. This was  the reason for her failure to appear at the hearing. While Judge  Matevosyan had previously violated Liana Harutyunyan's right to a  defense attorney by holding several hearings with her participation  without the presence of a lawyer," Postanjyan noted.

The human rights activist also noted that due to this decision,  namely after one day of Liana Harutyunyan and her daughter's stay in  the pretrial detention center, they were hospitalized due to the  deterioration of the child's health and are currently in the  hospital.

For the full picture, Postanjyan recalled that Liana Harutyunyan had  previously been interrogated as a witness in the case of organizing  illegal migration, but subsequently a criminal case was opened  against her on charges of facilitating illegal migration.

"This public criminal prosecution is groundless. Harutyunyan was a  witness throughout the preliminary investigation, and then, at the  end of the preliminary investigation, based on assumptions that were  neither relevant to the case nor admissible nor reliable evidence,  she became an accused," Postanjyan recalled.

As the lawyer explained, the essence of the accusation is as follows:  the Indian citizens arrived in Armenia legally, but stayed in the  country for several months without legal grounds. They wanted to  obtain a residence permit and used the services of a translator  provided by Liana Harutyunyan. However, as the human rights activist  continued, having been denied a residence permit, they left the  Republic legally.

"That is, the court is handling a criminal case that has nothing to  do with organizing illegal migration. It is unclear who, how, and to  what extent suffered. An absurd, absolutely poor-quality indictment  was presented, from which it is impossible to understand how Liana  Harutyunyan, by providing translations, could facilitate illegal  migration of foreign citizens who have legal entry and exit from the  Republic of Armenia.

Liana Harutyunyan and her child faced extremely incompetent actions  and abuse of power," the lawyer complained.

In this regard, Postanjyan called on all media, human rights  organizations, citizens and especially structures involved in the  protection of children's rights to declare the violation of the  fundamental rights of Liana Harutyunyan and her eight-month-old  daughter and to join their demand for release. "The voice of each of  us can prevent ongoing and unacceptable legal violations, protecting  the dignity and safety of the mother and child," the human rights  activist concluded.