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Wednesday, 19 May 2010

Activists against leniency re Nubarashen child abuse case trial in Yerevan

"A former teacher of Yerevan’s boarding school has pled guilty to “obscene acts” against underage students and now faces 18 months in prison.

During a court trial on Wednesday, Levon Avagyan, whose actions were described by the prosecutor as pedophilia, also asked for a “speedy trial” amid protest from some of the victims who consider such an imprisonment term too mild a punishment for “a person who has committed repugnant acts for years.” (ArmeniaNow)

For more background info about the case - see Armenia: Uncovering evidence of sexual abuse in Nubarashen boarding school N11 for special needs children leads to activist being charged with libel

There was a protest action today by human rights activists in Yerevan against leniency in dealing with the child abuse cases. Next protest is planned for 24 May to coincide with the court proceedings.

This picture by one of the activists Mamikon Hovsepyan became one of the most widely re-posted today among Armenian users on Facebook.


Below is a video by Women's Resource Centre in Yerevan from today's court hearings.

Video description reads: "one of the former students, a victim herself of teacher Avagyan's abuse, was outraged when she heard that the prosecutor is suggesting only 18 months for the pedophile and she started shouting in the court asking for justice for the rapes and abuses that the teacher did during his work in the boarding school for the past 30 years or so. This woman was not allowed to press charges because many years have passed, according to the RA law."

1 comment:

artmika said...

Hetq Online: " the Erebuni and Nubarashen District General Court found Levon Avagyan, former teacher of Nubarashen N 11 School for children with special needs, guilty of the first and second parts of article 142 of the Criminal Code. A sentence of two years imprisonment was pronounced. Levon Avagyan has been found guilty of illicit sexual acts with the children at the special needs school."