Jehovah’s Witness Karen Harutyunyan was sentenced on 30 December 2011 to 30 months’ imprisonment for refusing compulsory call-up to military service in Nagorno-Karabakh, an internationally unrecognised entity in the south Caucasus. Even before his trial, he had been transferred to the prison in the hilltop town of Shusha near Nagorno-Karabakh’s capital Stepanakert, where he will serve his sentence, Jehovah’s Witnesses told Forum 18 News Service. The entity’s latest prisoner of conscience, who refused military service because of his religious beliefs, is intending to appeal against the sentence. Harutyunyan’s imprisonment comes as the Council of Religions – a body under the jurisdiction of the Prime Minister made up of about 20 officials and members of registered religious organisations – is preparing revisions to the Religion Law which could make the restrictive Law even harsher.

Nagorno-Karabakh’s Human Rights Ombudsperson Yuri Hairapetyan insisted Harutyunyan broke the law, and questioned why he rejected military service. “How can someone refuse military service when Nagorno-Karabakh is still in a military situation?” Hairapetyan told Forum 18 from Stepanakert on 17 January. “How can this be justified? Maybe he’s not even a Jehovah’s Witness.”

Ombudsperson Hairapetyan also stated that Harutyunyan had not appealed to him for help. “I can only defend those who appeal to me. I respond to every appeal.”

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