For Immediate Release
Conscientious objector convicted in Armenia YEREVAN, Armenia—Today in the Armavir regional court, Aram Shahverdyan, an 18-year-old Jehovah's Witness, was convicted and sentenced to two years in prison for refusing military service on religious grounds. He becomes the first conscientious objector that Armenia has convicted and refused to pardon since it joined the Council of Europe on January 25, 2001. On July 25, Shahverdyan was arrested after having testified five days earlier in defense of Lyova Margaryan, also a Jehovah's Witness, who is being prosecuted for his religious beliefs and activities. During his own trial Shahverdyan faced intense questioning from both the prosecutor and the judge about his decision to refuse military service. He was repeatedly asked whether Lyova Margaryan persuaded him not to join the army. However, speaking with conviction, Shahverdyan declared: "My conscientious decision is based on the Bible." Judge Gagik Handanyan's apparent attempt to implicate Lyova Margaryan in shaping Shahverdyan's decision led to Aram's lawyer, Rustam Khachatryan, asking: "Who is on trial here, Aram Shahverdyan or Lyova Margaryan?" Margaryan is being accused under Article 244 of the Armenian Criminal Code of "luring young people into attending religious meetings of an unregistered religion" and "influencing members to refuse their civic duties." Margaryan's trial resumes tomorrow in the Armavir regional court. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison. When joining the Council of Europe, Armenia agreed to adopt a law on alternatives to military service within three years and, in the meantime, to release those in detention. Thirty-one male Jehovah's Witnesses have been pardoned and were released from places of detention on the basis of a Presidential amnesty in connection with Armenia's 1700-year anniversary of the Armenian Apostolic Church. However, eight remain in prison in Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. Five others who were released after serving part of their sentence are still under arrest but were allowed to live at home provided they regularly report to the local police. During the past month, eight Jehovah's Witnesses, including Aram Shahverdyan, were arrested and imprisoned awaiting trial for refusing military service on religious grounds. They are willing to perform alternative civilian service. Contact numbers in Armenia, Telephone:
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