187 acquitted in Armenia in 2016

160 acquitting sentences were passed by Armenian courts in 2016, affecting 187 accused persons in all. 140 out of the acquitted individuals were fully rehabilitated, 47 were rehabilitated partially. Sentences passed upon 76 individuals took their effect from December 30, 2016.

The number of fully acquitted citizens increased by 30 (19,1%) as compared with the last year.

This is quite a leap from 2007 when Armenian judges who passed acquitting sentences would find themselves facing penalties themselves. Namely, the Disciplinary Committee of the Council of Justice decided to terminate powers to the First Instance Court judge, Pargev Oganyan, though judges in Armenia have life tenure.

According to the last year’s statistics, mostly the individuals accused of medium-gravity crimes were acquitted

• The number of acquitted individuals, accused of petty offences, made 41 (21,9%);
• Those accused of medium-gravity offences – 84 (44,9%);
• Those accused of grave offences – 38 (20,3%);
• Those accused of particularly serious offences – 4 (2,2%).

The rehabilitated individuals most often faced the following charges under the Criminal Code of Armenia:

– petty offences:

hooliganism – 4 individuals;

falsification, sale or use of documents, stamps, seals, forms or vehicle license plates – 3 individuals;

– medium-gravity offences

official forgery – 9 individuals,

theft – 8 individuals,

fraud – 8 individuals;

– grave offences

larceny – 9 individuals;

illicit trafficking in narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances and precursors thereof: illegal sale and manufacturing– 8 individuals;

– particularly serious offences

high treason-1 individual;

murder – 2 individuals;

bribe-taking-1 individual.

Only 2 (1,1%) out of the total 187 fully or partially acquitted individuals were juvenile delinquents. 169 (90,4%) of the total number were males, 18 (9,6%) – females.