Imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Armenia
Use this form to send the letter below to the relevant authority (Vartan Oskanian, Minister for Foreign Affairs, Armenia). You can add your own notes in a separate box after the standard text, if you wish. You must include a name, address, and email address; a copy will be sent to you with a cc to the WRI office (so we have a record of how many email letters have been sent out for this particular case).
Dear Mr Vartan Oskanian, Minister for Foreign Affairs
I am very concerned about the recent imprisonment of conscientious objectors in Armenia.
In October 2004 alone, 5 conscientious objectors have been sentenced to imprisonment, mostly to the maximum sentence of two years.
Conscientious objection is recognised as a human right, derived from Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which Armenia is a signatory. I appreciate that Armenia finally passed a law on conscientious objection, which came into force on 1 July 2004. Although this law is far from complying with the standards set out by the Council of Europe, it is a step in the right direction.
However, the recent imprisonment and the high sentences for conscientious objectors contradict this positive development. On 22 June, the Armenian Parliament's deputy speaker Tigran Torosyan told Jehovah's Witness representatives at the Council of Europe parliamentary assembly in Strasbourg that all conscientious objector prisoners would be freed once the new law on alternative service came into force on 1 July. Not only did this not happen, as previously sentenced conscientious objectors are still in prison. Armenian courts also passed new harsh sentences on five conscientious objectors in October, and other sentences are to be expected soon. In doing so, Armenia continues to violate the human rights of conscientious objectors.
I therefore urge you to immediately release all imprisoned conscientious objectors. I urge you to respect human rights.
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