Opinion ID: 62530
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: IJ Hearing

Text: At the hearing, Hakhverdyan testified that, although he attended demonstrations supporting Demirchyan, he was not a member of any political party. Hakhverdyan was told that if he voted for Kocharyan that he would get a raise in his teacher salary. Hakhverdyan voted for Demirchyan. Because the vote in the first election was very close, a second election was held. When the school found out that Hakhverdyan had voted for Demirchyan in the first election, it cut his teaching hours. After the second election, the school’s director told Hakhverdyan that he was fired because “we are satisfying the way of your teaching and the student they don’t like you.” Hakhverdyan was told he was being fired because “you didn’t come to your senses” which he took as a comment about his voting. Hakhverdyan said that two other teachers who voted for Demirchyan were fired. At the April 12 demonstration attended by Hakhverdyan, the demonstrators walked toward the president’s house at midnight, shaking police cars as they went. At some point, all the lights in the street were turned off, and cars with water 6 cannons came and squirted the demonstrators with water. The military arrived and caused an explosion that Hakhverdyan described as a bright light accompanied by a loud noise that caused people not to be able to hear. The explosion shot small bits of plastic around that injured people. Hakhverdyan stated that he was hit by the plastic pieces, and, although he was not severely injured, the plastic burned. Hakhverdyan attempted to come to the aid of another and was beaten on his back and legs with a baton, tied up and taken to the police station. Upon arrival, police searched Hakhverdyan, took his money and cell phone and questioned him about his political affiliation. The police told Hakhverdyan that he was being arrested because he was part of an illegal demonstration, and thus a hooligan, and told him to sign a document which said as much. Hakhverdyan refused. Hakhverdyan was detained in a very dark, wet room with metal bunk beds and no mattresses. During the course of his detention, he was kicked by several police officers, and questioned repeatedly. When Hakhverdyan told the police that it was a calm demonstration and that some of the participants were dancing and singing, an officer put a gun to Hakhverdyan’s head and told him “now dance and sing.” Although Hakhverdyan was given food, the police beat him and did not let him use the bathroom. Prior to releasing Hakhverdyan, police accused him of hitting a police officer with a bottle, and, when he was being handcuffed, pulling the police officer’s shirt. Further, the police implied that they 7 were going to harm Hakhverdyan because he had touched a police officer’s uniform. When Hakhverdyan asked about his money and cell phone, he was told that maybe he was drunk and did not remember what happened to them. After being released, Hakhverdyan, with the help of his brother and friends, was able to get a fake Lithuanian passport and travel to Paris. From Paris, Hakhverdyan flew to Mexico, where he stayed for about ten days before entering the United States. Hakhverdyan believed he would be arrested if deported to Armenia because he had fled the country illegally. During cross-examination, Hakhverdyan explained that his Armenian and Lithuanian passports, although issued ten years apart, contain the same picture because he had extra photos. The government then asked Hakhverdyan, in light of the fact that he was carrying around passport photos and several pages were missing from the Armenian passport, why one should believe that his Armenian passport was authentic. Hakhverdyan explained that he cut out several pages after his nephew had drawn on them.