Jehovah’s Witnesses

For Immediate Release
January 14, 2002

Appeal trial of Jehovah’s Witness in Armenia postponed

YEREVAN, Armenia—The ongoing trial of Lyova Margaryan in the Armenian Court of Appeal was postponed today, as the chairman of the three-member court was attending the funeral of a long-time colleague. The prosecutor was expected to continue his cross-examination of Mr. Margaryan, who had been declared not guilty in a lower court. The father of three was charged under an obscure Soviet Khrushchev-era law originally designed to hinder and eventually eliminate religious groups who carried out their activities despite the Communist ban. The prosecutor subsequently appealed the not-guilty verdict.

The prosecution of Mr. Margaryan has been criticized as being a transparent attempt at discrediting Jehovah’s Witnesses in order to justify Armenia’s noncompliance with its commitments to the Council of Europe regarding religious minorities and conscientious objectors.

The trial is expected to resume at noon, Wednesday, January 16, 2002.

Contact: J. R. Brown, telephone: (718) 560-5600