Armenian youths on trial over matters of conscience YEREVAN, Armenia—“I made a personal decision to leave the psychiatric hospital because of constant visits from the military police to check on my activity. Being forced to wear a uniform issued by the military offended my Bible-based conscience,” Boris Melkumyan explained in his court testimony. He also testified that during his first week at the hospital, the institution was visited by the Chief of the Military Police in Sevan, who lined up the four young conscientious objectors performing “alternative labor service” and ordered them to cut their hair to look like soldiers. Boris is one of four Jehovah’s Witnesses who are on trial in the Geghargunik District First Court in Sevan, Armenia, for leaving their assignment of work at a psychiatric hospital, the “alternative labor service” available to the young men when they refused to perform the country’s obligatory military service. As conscientious objectors, Artur Chilingarov, Gagik Davtyan, Vagarshak Markaryan and Boris Melkumyan accepted alternative service in good faith, believing it to be civilian service. They are charged under Article 362(2) of “desertion by agreement,” an act equivalent to mutiny. If convicted of such a serious charge, they face from four to ten years in prison. Nineteen-year-old Melkumyan confirmed to the court his willingness to continue working at the hospital if the law on alternative service is amended. He stated: “I want to help the sick,” despite earlier delivering a graphic and moving description of the punitive nature of his work. He testified that he and his companions were ordered by the director to shovel snow with their bare hands until their arms froze, to remove a dead body from the women’s section during the night, and despite having no training, to perform nursing duties on aggressive patients. He also explained that during the five months he worked at the hospital he was not allowed to leave the premises. Earlier, Gagik Garabedian, the director of the psychiatric hospital, told the court that the order to detain the four conscientious objectors within the hospital compound came from the government. This case is adjourned until November 3. Another 17 defendants are scheduled to appear before Armenian courts to face similar charges under military law. Armenia’s obligations to the Council of Europe require it to provide nonpunitive and genuinely civilian service as an alternative to military service. Media Contacts
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