International organizations demand to release human rights activist from Armenia

The Organization in Defence of Rights of Human Rights Activists, International Organization against Torture and Norwegian Union for Human Rights have addressed the General Public Prosecutor of Armenia with a demand of immediate release of Arshaluis Akopyan, representative of the human rights organization named "Helsinki Association".

The demand to release Mr Akopyan, addressed to the authorities of Armenia, was also supported by the human rights organization "Norwegian Helsinki Committee", Norwegian Tibetan Committee, Azerbaijani Human Rights Centre, Polish Human Rights Foundation, and Human Rights Centres of Georgia and Belarus.

Besides, release of Akopyan was demanded by the "Russian Centre on Human Rights Studies" - on behalf of 10 public organizations, and by the Centre on Human Rights of Saraevo - on behalf of 7 organizations.

Earlier, 30 South-Caucasian public organizations addressed their similar demand to the authorities of Armenia.

Mikael Danielyan, head of the Helsinki Association and a well-known human rights activist, has informed the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent that his organization had addressed its petition to the Appeal Court asking to revise the freedom restriction measure (arrest) applied by the court of the first instance to Arshaluis Akopyan.

According to Mr Danielyan, so far, the court gave no answer. The human rights activist has characterized the state of health of Akopyan who is kept in SIZO as normal.

"Russian human rights defenders demand release of Arshaluis Akopyan arrested in Armenia," "Danielyan: human rights defender beaten by police for the first time in Armenian history," "Observer at election of Yerevan Mayor arrested in Armenia."