Artak Gasparyan informs Forrights.am that the law enforcement system of Armenia wants to confiscate the only property of Artak Gasparyan, forcibly displaced from Artsakh, his car. In connection with his activities, criminal proceedings were initiated in Artsakh and, according to Artak Gasparyan, it was transferred from Stepanakert to Yerevan. It is related to driving a vehicle without a driver’s license. At the same time, he claims that although he was deprived of his driver’s license in Artsakh, an amnesty was applied before the forced deportation.
“They say that I drove without a driver’s license, they say that I was deprived of the license, but they pardoned me in Stepanakert, it was just not possible to print that paper and give it to me, but I know that the decision of my amnesty was transferred to the Armenian police. I spoke with the head of our Artsakh police department; he said that I am pardoned and the papers are in the police here, in Armenia. I said, give me a piece of paper to show them; they say we gave al the papers to the RA police,” said Artak Gasparyan in a conversation with Forrights.am.
According to Artak Gasparyan’s lawyer Vladimir Hayrapetyan, they want to confiscate 375 thousand drams [about $1,000] from Artak Gasparyan; however, since he is not solvent, a decision was made to confiscate the property.
“Proceedings were initiated because he drove a car while intoxicated in Artsakh. According to the Traffic Police, appropriate proceedings were initiated and his driving license was revoked. In that capacity, he drove the car again, for which a criminal case was initiated. “The judicial act was submitted to the relevant probation service for execution. The person, not having any property, could not pay: he has the status of a refugee. Now the Probation Service applied for confiscation of the property corresponding to the fine,” said the lawyer.
Artak Gasparyan does not agree with the records of the Artsakh police that he drove a car under alcohol influence. He says that he had to drive the car after being deprived of his driver’s license, because he was a soldier and they called the military unit with alarm call, he could not go without a car. Artak is a soldier, winner of the Medal of Valor, participated in the wars of 2016, 2020, 2023. He is being tried in Armenia.
“The lawsuit is going because I was fined in Artsakh. I went to the military unit with alarm on February 13, 2022. It was an alarm call. I lived in the village of Nngi, our military unit was under Shushi. They stopped me when I was coming back, saying, ‘Where is your license, why are you driving without it?’ If they gave an alarm, you should go to the indicated place. They started a case for this; They eliminated millions, billions, burned the papers, but brought this small case here. There is a lawsuit for this, a fine of 375,000 drams has been imposed, I have to pay to close the case. It is a fine imposed by the court,” he says, noting that he has no money to pay the state fine.
“I can’t pay, how can I pay? I can’t pay my rent. In Artsakh, I would give it, but here I can’t. They say, if you don’t pay, we will confiscate your car. I say that there is a car and a house left in Artsakh, go and confiscate it. I just got a job as a security worker at Grand Tobacco company, the salary is 135,000 drams, and the rent is 150,000 drams. How can I pay the fine?” he said.
Artak Gasparyan says that his car has been in Gyumri, at the penalty area, for over a month. The car was taken from his hands on the way to Yerevan, according to him, he had to empty the clothes and bedding from the car and carry them to Yerevan by taxi.
Artak Gasparyan has another problem: he cannot get a passport. The Passport Department of the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs reported that a ban was applied due to the criminal case. The passport can be obtained after the fine is been paid and the criminal proceedings are terminated. Artak wants to get the passport sooner to be able to take a loan to pay the fine but they do not meet his request.
Forrights.am sent written requests to the RA Ministry of Internal Affairs and the RA Investigative Committee regarding Artak Gasparyan’s problems.
Narek Kirakosyan
Narek Kirakosyan
Narek Kirakosyan is a journalist, works on the principle of "a person is an absolute value".