Jehovah's Witnesses in Armenia
Imprisonment of conscientious objectors to military service
REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA AND NAGORNO-KARABAKH*
(May 2, 2005)
Currently, there are 20 male Jehovah's Witnesses in prison for their conscientious refusal of military service on religious grounds. The names, dates of imprisonment, sentences, grounds (under criminal code1) and locations are as follows:
| Name |
Date of Imprisonment |
Grounds |
Sentence |
Location |
| Aram Manukyan |
August 16, 2004 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Asatur Badalyan |
September 30, 2004 |
§327 I |
18 months |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Karen Akopyan |
October 7, 2004 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Arsen Sargsyan |
October 8, 2004 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Mher Mirzakhanyan |
October 13, 2004 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Artur Manukyan |
October 14, 2004 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Ovanes Bayatyan |
October 14, 2004 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Arman Melikyan |
November 30, 2004 |
§327 I |
18 months |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Mher Manukyan |
December 16, 2004 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| *Areg Avanesyan |
February 16, 2005 |
§327 III2 |
4 years |
Shushi Penal Institution (Nagorno-Karabakh) |
| Arman Marinosyan |
February 23, 2005 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Roma Karapetyan |
February 24, 2005 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Sergey Ovanisyan |
February 28, 2005 |
§327 I |
18 months |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Gevork Manukyan |
March 3, 2005 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Arman Agazaryan |
March 10, 2005 |
§327 I |
18 months |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Ashot Torgomyan |
March 14, 2005 |
§327 I |
2 years |
Nubarashen Penal Institution |
| David Delanyan |
March 17, 2005 |
§327 I |
1 year |
Kosh Penal Institution |
| Arsen Gasparyan |
March 17, 2005 |
§327 I |
18 months |
Nubarashen Penal Institution |
| Sarkis Karapetyan |
April 6, 2005 |
§327 I |
18 months |
Nubarashen Penal Institution |
| Tatul Gogdzhyan |
April 15, 2005 |
§327 I |
20 months |
Nubarashen Penal Institution |
One Jehovah's Witness was sentenced to pay a fine:
| Name |
Date of Sentence |
Grounds |
Fine |
| Stepan Epremyan |
March 29, 2004 |
§327 I |
penalty 300 000 dram (approximately $500 US) |
One Jehovah's Witness has been arrested and is awaiting his trial:
| Name |
Date of Arrest |
| Artur Vardanyan |
written undertaken not to leave the place since April 13, 2005, Gumry |
1 Article 327 I states: Evading a recurring call to emergency military service, or educational or military training, without a legal basis for being relieved of this service, shall incur a fine in the amount of 300 to 500 minimum wages or arrest for up to two months or imprisonment for up to two years.
2 The Criminal Code of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is fully identical to that of the Republic of Armenia.
Article 327 III states: The action envisaged in part 1 or 2 of this article, if committed in conditions of martial law, at time of war or during military actions, is punished with imprisonment from 4 to 8 years.
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