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US Department of State: Armenian authorities continued to use
harassment and intrusive application of bureaucratic measures to
intimidate and retaliate against political opponents in 2009
2010-03-13 18:19:00
ArmInfo. On September 16-17, approximately 16 months after its
establishment, the ad hoc parliamentary commission released its
findings on the March 2008 postelection events and 10 resulting
deaths. The report stated that the commission was unable to shed more
light onto the circumstances of the deaths and urged law enforcement
authorities to do more to identify, track down, and prosecute
individuals responsible for the deaths. Relatives of the civilian
victims protested the commission's findings and demonstrated before
the parliament for a full, objective accounting of the deaths, says
the US Department of State 2009 Human Rights Report: Armenia.
The report blamed authorities, the opposition, and the media alike for
escalating the election-related tensions that preceded the clashes.
The report criticized electronic media for biased coverage in the
period prior to the election, which added to the public's distrust of
authorities. But the report assigned most of the blame for the violent
unrest on the opposition, accusing presidential candidate and former
president Levon Ter-Petrossian of poisoning the preelection period by
sowing "hostility and intolerance" and planting "doubts about the
legitimacy of the elections" before the campaign began. It also stated
that the postelection protests by Ter-Petrossian supporters
destabilized the country and disrupted public order. The report failed
to shed light onto the circumstances of the deaths of the 10 citizens
killed in the clashes. The opposition reacted harshly to the report's
findings, accusing authorities of using it to cover up their
responsibility for the violence and fatalities that occurred.
The report also says that the authorities restricted the right of
citizens to freely change their government in mayoral elections in
Yerevan. During the year authorities subjected citizens, particularly
those considered by the government to be political opponents, to
arbitrary arrest, detention, and imprisonment for their political
activities; lengthy pretrial detention also continued to be a problem.
Authorities continued to use harassment and intrusive application of
bureaucratic measures to intimidate and retaliate against political
opponents. Authorities used force to disperse political demonstrations
and constrain citizens seeking to publicize them. Police beat pretrial
detainees and failed to provide due process in some cases. The
National Security Service (NSS) and police acted with impunity in
committing alleged human rights abuses. In spite of renovations and
new construction, prison conditions remained cramped and unhealthy.
Authorities denied citizens the right to a fair trial.
News outlets, especially in the broadcast media, practiced a high
degree of self-censorship, and authorities continued to restrict media
pluralism, including through a moratorium on renewal of broadcasting
licenses. There were multiple attacks against journalists, and the
government rarely identified or prosecuted perpetrators. Authorities
restricted freedom of assembly, rejecting numerous applications filed
by political opponents to hold demonstrations at requested venues, and
often prevented spontaneous assembly by citizens. Corruption remained
widespread, and authorities did not make determined efforts to combat
it, says the report.
harassment and intrusive application of bureaucratic measures to
intimidate and retaliate against political opponents in 2009
2010-03-13 18:19:00
ArmInfo. On September 16-17, approximately 16 months after its
establishment, the ad hoc parliamentary commission released its
findings on the March 2008 postelection events and 10 resulting
deaths. The report stated that the commission was unable to shed more
light onto the circumstances of the deaths and urged law enforcement
authorities to do more to identify, track down, and prosecute
individuals responsible for the deaths. Relatives of the civilian
victims protested the commission's findings and demonstrated before
the parliament for a full, objective accounting of the deaths, says
the US Department of State 2009 Human Rights Report: Armenia.
The report blamed authorities, the opposition, and the media alike for
escalating the election-related tensions that preceded the clashes.
The report criticized electronic media for biased coverage in the
period prior to the election, which added to the public's distrust of
authorities. But the report assigned most of the blame for the violent
unrest on the opposition, accusing presidential candidate and former
president Levon Ter-Petrossian of poisoning the preelection period by
sowing "hostility and intolerance" and planting "doubts about the
legitimacy of the elections" before the campaign began. It also stated
that the postelection protests by Ter-Petrossian supporters
destabilized the country and disrupted public order. The report failed
to shed light onto the circumstances of the deaths of the 10 citizens
killed in the clashes. The opposition reacted harshly to the report's
findings, accusing authorities of using it to cover up their
responsibility for the violence and fatalities that occurred.
The report also says that the authorities restricted the right of
citizens to freely change their government in mayoral elections in
Yerevan. During the year authorities subjected citizens, particularly
those considered by the government to be political opponents, to
arbitrary arrest, detention, and imprisonment for their political
activities; lengthy pretrial detention also continued to be a problem.
Authorities continued to use harassment and intrusive application of
bureaucratic measures to intimidate and retaliate against political
opponents. Authorities used force to disperse political demonstrations
and constrain citizens seeking to publicize them. Police beat pretrial
detainees and failed to provide due process in some cases. The
National Security Service (NSS) and police acted with impunity in
committing alleged human rights abuses. In spite of renovations and
new construction, prison conditions remained cramped and unhealthy.
Authorities denied citizens the right to a fair trial.
News outlets, especially in the broadcast media, practiced a high
degree of self-censorship, and authorities continued to restrict media
pluralism, including through a moratorium on renewal of broadcasting
licenses. There were multiple attacks against journalists, and the
government rarely identified or prosecuted perpetrators. Authorities
restricted freedom of assembly, rejecting numerous applications filed
by political opponents to hold demonstrations at requested venues, and
often prevented spontaneous assembly by citizens. Corruption remained
widespread, and authorities did not make determined efforts to combat
it, says the report.