Case of Greta Baghdasaryan

Born in the Armenian capital Yerevan, Greta Baghdasaryan first met her future husband in 1986. She said that in 1989 he raped her and she became pregnant. In order to keep the pregnancy and child private, he took her to his parents’ house in Aragatsotn region and they subsequently married in 1990.

Beatings, rape and other forms of abuse became routine in Greta’s marriage. In an interview with Amnesty International she recalled that during her pregnancy he forced her to walk a long distance without water beating her with a branch “like a cow.” She said that she suffered a miscarriage on account of these beatings. She eventually left her husband in January 2001 when he beat her severely with a shovel, breaking her nose and giving her a concussion. Her neighbour dissuaded her from calling the police and she returned to Yerevan where her parents lived. She went to a doctor, who took evidence but did not report the case to the police. Greta Baghdasaryan has been left disabled by her experiences and cannot work or provide for her children.

She has gained confidence in herself and awareness of her rights and does not want to stay silent about her experiences. She is also willing to bring her abuser to justice, although her current lawyer from the Armenian non-governmental organization, the A.D. Sakharov Centre of Human Rights Protection, considers that under a statute of limitations law she would be unable to pursue a criminal case. Reportedly, her medical records certifying injures are not admissible in court proceedings.

She and her children no longer have access to their family house that was built with the aid of her father while she and her husband lived together. After she formally divorced her husband in 2002, she discovered that her former husband had removed both of her sons’ names from the local residency register in their absence. The absence of local residency registration results in the violation of certain of her sons’ citizenship rights, including the right to vote, and it also impedes their access to education, health and social protection. Greta Baghdasaryan also applied to the local court to claim her share of the property, and to have her sons’ names reinstated in the local residency register. Three applications were rejected by the regional court in Ashtarak. Greta Baghdasaryan believes she was discriminated against during all court proceedings in the local court because of her being branded as an ‘outsider’ by relatives and friends of her husband in the local administration.

Amnesty International is concerned about the apparent discrimination against survivor of domestic and sexual violence Greta Baghdasaryan, and the lack of fair administration of justice in her case. Amnesty International is urging the relevant authorities of Armenia to investigate what happened in her case and ensure that she is given access to full reparation, including compensation and psycho-social and medical rehabilitation.

No Pride in Silence Domestic and Sexual Violence against Women in Armenia

Research conducted by Amnesty International in 2007 and 2008 has suggested that more than one in four women in Armenia may at some time experience physical violence at the hands of husbands or other family members, with much higher figures reported for psychological forms of violence.

CHANGING MINDS
In Armenia social attitudes largely accept and even vindicate violence against women. These views represent a critical obstacle to the protection and fulfillment of women’s rights, and need to be challenged.

Article 5 of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) requires states to take measures “[t]o modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, …elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women”. Much more needs to be done by the Armenia authorities to challenge the social and institutional foundations of the violence they justify.

KEEPING QUIET
Women in Armenia feel strong pressures to “keep it in the family”, as the social disgrace associated with separation or divorce is worse than that associated with domestic violence.

POLICE ATTITUDES
While general social attitudes stigmatize a woman who seeks redress against an abusive husband, responses by the police can further deter a woman from seeking justice – sometimes simply just by showing a reluctance to get involved. In some cases police endorse the view that domestic violence is an internal ‘family matter’ that should not be publicly pursued. Some women told Amnesty International they were actively pressured to withdraw complaints.

IMPUNITY
Few cases of domestic violence come to court compared to other violent crimes. Women and NGO activists report that many cases do not reach the stage of prosecution. Proceedings against perpetrators of domestic violence may only be initiated following a complaint by the victim. Police are not empowered to intervene without a written application from the victim. If neighbours or relatives approach the police, they are not allowed to initiate proceedings. Therefore the victim has to lodge the complaint, which can be very unlikely. Furthermore, proceedings are terminated if the complainant is considered to have been “reconciled” with the accused, even if she is pressured to do.Created Date:25/11/2008

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Email:

Prime Minister Tigran SARGSYAN
Government Building 1
Republic Square
Yerevan 0010, Armenia

Dear Minister,

I am writing to express my concern at the apparent discrimination against survivor of domestic and sexual violence Greta Baghdasaryan in the case regarding the division of marital property. The lack of fair administration of justice in her case, resulting in the loss of adequate housing as well as her and her children’s rights to property, has deprived her and her children of the basic citizenship rights. The disability allegedly inflicted by the perpetrator on Greta Baghdasaryan, resulting in her unemployment, has brought great distress to her family.

Article 5 of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) requires states to take measures “[t]o modify the social and cultural patterns of conduct of men and women, …elimination of prejudices and customary and all other practices which are based on the idea of inferiority or the superiority of either of the sexes or on stereotyped roles for men and women”.

Greta Baghdasaryan’s case is only the tip of the iceberg. There are thousands of women in Armenia are regularly subjected to violence within their families which is a serious breach of their human rights.

I therefore, write to urge you to:

1. initiate an investigation into her case;

2. ensure that she and her children have immediate access to adequate social support and housing;

3. to ensure that all women, like Greta Baghdasaryan, who have been subjected to violence are given access to full reparation, including compensation, psycho-social and medical rehabilitation as specified by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in their General Recommendation 19, and by the Council of Europe’s Committee of Ministers in their Recommendation Rec (2002) 5;

4. ensure that Greta Baghdasaryan’s children’s citizenship rights are restored in full, including through the restoration of their names to the residency register of their choices;

5. prioritize the elimination of domestic violence and compliance with Armenia’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women.

Yours sincerely,

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