Petition for Vahagn Chakhalyan

Originally posted by javakhk at Petition for Vahagn Chakhalyan

Petition for Vahagn Chakhalyan

Please, sign petition at: http://www.gopetition.com/petition/43282.html

STOP DISCRIMINATION BY GEORGIAN AUTHORITIES AGAINST ARMENIANS OF JAVAKHK

TO: José Manuel Barroso, President of the European Commission, Thorbjørn Jagland, Secretary General of the Council of Europe, Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Georgian authorities have been gradually toughening their policy towards the Armenian minority of the country, and in particular, with regard to Armenians compactly living in south-western Georgia (Javakhk). Today, the basic political, civil, linguistic, educational, religious and cultural rights of the Javakhk Armenians are flagrantly violated. The local Armenian political activists, who try to protest against the discriminatory policies of the Georgian authorities, are persecuted.

Within this context, April 17, 2011 will mark the 1000 days in jail of Vahagn Chakhalyan, a prominent Armenian political activist from Javakhk. Arrested on the eve of the August 2008 five-day war, he was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment by a Georgian court. The sentence was the outcome of a trial marked by flagrant violations of the law and was based mainly on many fake charges. The decision was clearly political in nature as it intended to curb the social and political activity of the Armenian activist who was deeply involved in the struggle for the protection of the rights of the Armenian population of Javakhk.

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