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UNIVERSAL PERIORDIC REVIEW: HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH SUBMISSION ON ARMENIA
Human Rights Watch
June 18 2014
June 17, 2014
Summary
Armenia's human rights record has remained problematic since its UPR
in 2010, leaving many of the accepted recommendations unfulfilled,
casting some doubts on the government's willingness to abide
by its commitments. Although the 2012 and 2013 parliamentary and
presidential elections were generally better administered than past
votes, they were marred by reports of voter harassment, vote-buying,
misuse of administrative resources to favor incumbents, and police
unresponsiveness to citizens' complaints. Ill-treatment in police
custody persists. The authorities do not adequately investigate a
troubling number of noncombat deaths in the military. There have been
no effective investigations into violent attacks against peaceful
protesters by unidentified assailants. Broadcast media continues
to lack pluralism, and instances of violence and harassment against
journalists and media workers continue to occur with impunity.
Violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity by both state and non-state actors are serious problems.
Bureaucratic restrictions prevent people with terminal illnesses from
accessing adequate pain medications in violation of their human rights.
Elections
During the previous UPR in 2010, Armenia accepted to "implement
recommendations issued by the Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights of OSCE" to improve the conduct of future elections.
Despite some reforms to the electoral code, 2012 parliamentary and
2013 presidential elections fell short of OSCE standards.
According to the OSCE's election monitoring report, the May 6, 2012
parliamentary election, although competitive and largely peaceful, was
marred by "an unequal playing field" due to misuse of administrative
resources, and party representatives and local authorities pressuring
voters, interfering in voting, and hindering the work of journalists.
Several violent incidents occurred during the campaign period in
the capital Yerevan, including assaults on opposition party Armenian
National Congress (ANC) candidates and members. The ANC members were
distributing campaign information at the time of the attack. Police
failed to effectively investigate.
The OSCE also concluded that the February 2013 presidential election
"was generally well-administered" but noted "some serious violations"
of OSCE and Council of Europe standards. The observers also noted
other breaches, including public administration bias in favor of
incumbents, misuse of administrative resources, and undue interference
by the incumbent's proxies. Local observers reported the presence of
unauthorized persons at polling stations, numerous attempts to pressure
observers and journalists by political parties and election commission
members, and widespread ballot stuffing for the incumbent candidate.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
Armenia accepted several recommendations related to freedom of assembly
and association, and in a positive move the government lifted the
blanket ban on public rallies at Yerevan's Freedom Square.
However, in several instances police used violence against people
who had participated in peaceful protests. Authorities also failed to
effectively investigate a spate of attacks against peaceful protesters
by unidentified assailants.
For example, in August 2013, police used force to disperse a crowd
of local residents and civic activists in central Yerevan, who were
protesting against the construction of a high-rise apartment building
in the city center. Police briefly detained some 26 protesters and beat
at least one as he was transported to a police station; he required
brief hospitalization. In October 2013, the Armenian ombudsman's
office also found that the police had used disproportionate force
but the authorities failed to take effective measures to investigate.
September 2013 saw a spate of attacks against peaceful protesters
in Yerevan, apparently intended to discourage participation in two
peaceful protests. On September 5, about six unidentified assailants
attacked Haykak Arshamyan and Suren Saghatelyan, well-known civil
society activists, as they returned from a peaceful demonstration
in front of the Republican Party headquarters where they were
protesting President Sargsyan's announcement that Armenia would
join the Russia-led Eurasian Customs Union. Saghatelyan suffered a
broken nose, requiring surgery and hospitalization, and Arshamyan was
treated for multiple bruises. On September 4, about 10 unidentified
assailants attacked activist Arman Alexanyan after he left a sit-in
at the municipal building to protest a temporary price increase in
municipal transport fares. He was hospitalized briefly for bruises
and head trauma. On August 25, about six unidentified assailants
attacked two activists, Babken Der Grigoryan and Mihran Margaryan,
shortly after they left the municipal building protest. Police failed
to conduct effective investigations.
In 2012 and 2013, the Women's Resource Center, a nongovernmental
women's rights organization working in the areas of reproductive
health and rights of victims of sexual violence, has faced an
increasing number of threats by nationalist groups, including Facebook
comments by users who threatened to blow it up and slit the throats
of its activists. While these threats have been reported to the
police,authorities had yet to investigate at time of writing.
Freedom of Expression
Armenia accepted a number of recommendations to ensure full respect
for the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including by
"ensuring that no persons are deprived of their liberty solely
for having exercised their freedom of expression, their right to
peaceful assembly or their right to take part in the Government of
their country" and "issuing broadcasting licences and guaranteeing
the independence of broadcasting regulatory bodies." However
problems remain. Armenia has diverse print and online media, but
broadcast media lacks pluralism; for example, only 1 of Armenia's
13 television stations carries live political talk shows. Despite a
2008 European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment that Armenia had
violated freedom of expression by repeatedly and arbitrarily denying
the station a license to the independent television station A1+,
it still remains off air.
On May 22, 2014 Armenia's prosecutor's office made a broad statement
threatening to prosecute media outlets and journalists that report
details of ongoing criminal investigations, citing a criminal code
article, which makes publication of such information a crime punishable
by heavy fines or a one-month arrest. The statement raised concern
among many media outlets, which feared the authorities would use
the criminal code arbitrarily to silence journalists exposing their
failures and corruption in the system.
Following the 2013 presidential elections, OSCE observers noted the
media's "selective approach" to covering post-presidential election
developments, notably limiting views critical of the conduct of the
election. Also, a June 2012 Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) report on media freedom in Europe found Armenian
journalists' capacity to report was "hampered by pressures of
self-censorship" and expressed concern about television stations'
use of material from political advertisements in news coverage.
The Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, a local media
monitoring group, reported six instances of physical violence against
journalists during the first half of 2013. In one case, several young
men forcibly prevented Artak Hambardzumyan, of the group Journalists
for Human Rights, from documenting alleged ballot box stuffing
in Artashat during the presidential election. The committee had
documented 34 instances of pressure on media outlets and journalists
in the first half of 2013.
At least two journalists suffered attacks while covering the May
2012 parliamentary elections. In Yerevan, a man punched Elina
Chilingaryan as she filmed a bus arriving at a polling station,
knocking her camera to the ground. Police brought charges against the
assailant for interfering with the professional duties of a journalist,
but later dropped the charges, claiming that Chilingaryan was not
performing her professional duties at the time of the attack since
she was not wearing her press badge. The authorities did not bring
separate assault charges.
Torture and Ill-treatment in Custody
Armenia accepted a number of recommendations related to the fight
against torture and ill-treatment, including to "ensure that all
allegations of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment are
investigated promptly and that perpetrators are brought to justice."
However, according to local human rights defenders, torture and
ill-treatment in police custody persist, and the definition of torture
in Armenian law does not meet international standards, as it does
not include crimes committed by public officials. Authorities often
refuse to investigate allegations of ill-treatment or pressure victims
to retract complaints. Police use torture to coerce confessions and
incriminating statements from suspects and witnesses.
For example, Artur Karapetyan, detained in October 2012 on charges
of illegal drug distribution, complained of police abuse in custody.
According to his lawyer, Karapetyan showed him wounds on his feet that
he said were from a beating. Karapetyan was subsequently released,
in December 2012, and the charges against him were dropped in April
2013, but police failed to conduct an effective investigation into
his ill-treatment allegations.
In November 2012, Mger Andreasyan testified in a local court that
Yerevan police officers severely beat him after his arrest on robbery
charges. Andreasyan stated that, unable to bear sustained beatings,
he attempted suicide by using his head to break a window in the
investigator's office and trying to jump out, but police prevented
him. Although a Yerevan court dropped escape charges against Andreasyan
in March 2013, there was no investigation into his ill-treatment
allegations.
An October 2012 report of the European Committee for the Prevention
of Torture (CPT) on its follow-up visit in December 2011 noted
overcrowding, unhygienic conditions, and inadequate medical care in
two prison facilities. CPT also noted that it received no new cases
of ill-treatment from these facilities in 2012.
Army Abuses
Violence, noncombat deaths, and ineffective investigations into these
issues remain persistent problems in Armenia. In 2013, the Helsinki
Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor office had reported 29 noncombat army
deaths, including 7 suicides. The authorities fail to investigate
adequately and expose the circumstances of noncombat deaths and to
account for evidence of violence in cases where the death is ruled
a suicide.
In June 2013, in a positive move, parliament amended the law on
alternative military service to remove military supervision from
alternative labor service and reduce it from 42 to 36 months. However,
local activists voiced concerns about the amendments, including the
Defense Ministry's continued decisive role in application decisions,
vague eligibility requirements, and length of service, which would
still be longer than regular military service. By the end of 2013,
33 Jehovah's Witnesses who had been convicted and held for refusing
to perform alternative service were released but were still required
to perform alternative service.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists in
Armenia have expressed concern for the alarming level of homophobia
in the country. According to PINK Armenia, a local rights group,
transgender women who engage in sex work are frequently assaulted and
receive no police protection when they report abuse. PINK Armenia
also reported that the LGBT population continues to experience
discrimination in employment, obstacles to accessing health care,
and physical and psychological abuse in the army, in public, and from
their families.
According to an August 2013 Amnesty International report, government
officials frequently condone violent attacks against LGBT people,
characterizing the violence as an expression of "traditional values."
In July 2013, the Armenian police proposed to amend the code of
administrative offenses to establish a fine of up to US$4,000 for
promoting "nontraditional sexual relationships." The proposal was
subsequently withdrawn.
Also in July 2013, a Yerevan court convicted two people for damage to
property stemming from a bomb attack in May 2012 against DIY, a bar
frequented by LGBT and women's rights activists. The two perpetrators
wrote graffiti ???where???, which indicated that GBT people were
the intended targets of the attack. One attacker was sentenced to 19
months in prison and the other received a two-year suspended sentence.
They were both amnestied in October. Local human rights groups
expressed frustration that the sentence was too lenient.
Palliative Care
In 2010 Armenia also accepted several recommendations on enhancing
and expanding access to and the affordability of health-care services.
Human Rights Watch research documented Armenia's complicated and
time-consuming prescription and procurement procedures for opioid
medications obstructing the delivery of adequate palliative care,
condemning most terminally ill patients to unnecessary suffering.
Although morphine is a safe, effective, and inexpensive way to improve
the lives of terminally ill people, Armenia's current consumption
levels of morphine and alternative strong opioid medicines are
insufficient to provide care to all terminally ill cancer patients,
leaving many without adequate pain relief during the last stages of
their illness.
Recommendations
Ensure full implementation of all OSCE/ODIHR election monitoring
report recommendations:
Implement effective measures to eradicate any improper use of
administrative resources in future elections; Ensure an equal playing
field for all contestants, the free expression of the will of the
voters, and the integrity of electoral process.
Ensure that there are no impediments to freedom of assembly and
association:
Promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate all incidents of use
of force by law enforcement officers, and attacks against peaceful
protesters by unidentified assailants.
Promptly and effectively investigate the threats against the Women's
Resource Center and ensure the safety of its staff.
Ensure freedom of expression and media pluralism:
Review the licensing process to allow greater media diversity; Fully
implement the European Court decision on A1+ television station and
allow it back on air; Ensure thorough and effective investigations
into attacks and threats against journalists; such investigations
should be capable of identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators.
Thoroughly investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment
of detainees and hold perpetrators accountable:
Make a statement at the highest level condemning torture and
ill-treatment; Ensure that the definition of torture in domestic
legislation is fully in line with international standards.
Promptly, thoroughly, effectively, and transparently investigate all
cases of noncombat deaths and ill-treatment in the army, and hold
perpetrators accountable:
Ensure that conscientious objectors are provided with a genuine
alternative to military service, which is not discriminatory.
Uphold the government's international obligations on non-discrimination
on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, whether in a
public or private sectors:
Thoroughly and effectively investigate all attacks and threats against
individuals on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Take immediate steps to ensure an effective supply and distribution
system of strong pain medications:
Reform excessively onerous drug control regulations that interfere
with opioids availability.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/17/universal-periordic-review-human-rights-watch-submission-armenia
Human Rights Watch
June 18 2014
June 17, 2014
Summary
Armenia's human rights record has remained problematic since its UPR
in 2010, leaving many of the accepted recommendations unfulfilled,
casting some doubts on the government's willingness to abide
by its commitments. Although the 2012 and 2013 parliamentary and
presidential elections were generally better administered than past
votes, they were marred by reports of voter harassment, vote-buying,
misuse of administrative resources to favor incumbents, and police
unresponsiveness to citizens' complaints. Ill-treatment in police
custody persists. The authorities do not adequately investigate a
troubling number of noncombat deaths in the military. There have been
no effective investigations into violent attacks against peaceful
protesters by unidentified assailants. Broadcast media continues
to lack pluralism, and instances of violence and harassment against
journalists and media workers continue to occur with impunity.
Violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender
identity by both state and non-state actors are serious problems.
Bureaucratic restrictions prevent people with terminal illnesses from
accessing adequate pain medications in violation of their human rights.
Elections
During the previous UPR in 2010, Armenia accepted to "implement
recommendations issued by the Office for Democratic Institutions and
Human Rights of OSCE" to improve the conduct of future elections.
Despite some reforms to the electoral code, 2012 parliamentary and
2013 presidential elections fell short of OSCE standards.
According to the OSCE's election monitoring report, the May 6, 2012
parliamentary election, although competitive and largely peaceful, was
marred by "an unequal playing field" due to misuse of administrative
resources, and party representatives and local authorities pressuring
voters, interfering in voting, and hindering the work of journalists.
Several violent incidents occurred during the campaign period in
the capital Yerevan, including assaults on opposition party Armenian
National Congress (ANC) candidates and members. The ANC members were
distributing campaign information at the time of the attack. Police
failed to effectively investigate.
The OSCE also concluded that the February 2013 presidential election
"was generally well-administered" but noted "some serious violations"
of OSCE and Council of Europe standards. The observers also noted
other breaches, including public administration bias in favor of
incumbents, misuse of administrative resources, and undue interference
by the incumbent's proxies. Local observers reported the presence of
unauthorized persons at polling stations, numerous attempts to pressure
observers and journalists by political parties and election commission
members, and widespread ballot stuffing for the incumbent candidate.
Freedom of Assembly and Association
Armenia accepted several recommendations related to freedom of assembly
and association, and in a positive move the government lifted the
blanket ban on public rallies at Yerevan's Freedom Square.
However, in several instances police used violence against people
who had participated in peaceful protests. Authorities also failed to
effectively investigate a spate of attacks against peaceful protesters
by unidentified assailants.
For example, in August 2013, police used force to disperse a crowd
of local residents and civic activists in central Yerevan, who were
protesting against the construction of a high-rise apartment building
in the city center. Police briefly detained some 26 protesters and beat
at least one as he was transported to a police station; he required
brief hospitalization. In October 2013, the Armenian ombudsman's
office also found that the police had used disproportionate force
but the authorities failed to take effective measures to investigate.
September 2013 saw a spate of attacks against peaceful protesters
in Yerevan, apparently intended to discourage participation in two
peaceful protests. On September 5, about six unidentified assailants
attacked Haykak Arshamyan and Suren Saghatelyan, well-known civil
society activists, as they returned from a peaceful demonstration
in front of the Republican Party headquarters where they were
protesting President Sargsyan's announcement that Armenia would
join the Russia-led Eurasian Customs Union. Saghatelyan suffered a
broken nose, requiring surgery and hospitalization, and Arshamyan was
treated for multiple bruises. On September 4, about 10 unidentified
assailants attacked activist Arman Alexanyan after he left a sit-in
at the municipal building to protest a temporary price increase in
municipal transport fares. He was hospitalized briefly for bruises
and head trauma. On August 25, about six unidentified assailants
attacked two activists, Babken Der Grigoryan and Mihran Margaryan,
shortly after they left the municipal building protest. Police failed
to conduct effective investigations.
In 2012 and 2013, the Women's Resource Center, a nongovernmental
women's rights organization working in the areas of reproductive
health and rights of victims of sexual violence, has faced an
increasing number of threats by nationalist groups, including Facebook
comments by users who threatened to blow it up and slit the throats
of its activists. While these threats have been reported to the
police,authorities had yet to investigate at time of writing.
Freedom of Expression
Armenia accepted a number of recommendations to ensure full respect
for the right to freedom of opinion and expression, including by
"ensuring that no persons are deprived of their liberty solely
for having exercised their freedom of expression, their right to
peaceful assembly or their right to take part in the Government of
their country" and "issuing broadcasting licences and guaranteeing
the independence of broadcasting regulatory bodies." However
problems remain. Armenia has diverse print and online media, but
broadcast media lacks pluralism; for example, only 1 of Armenia's
13 television stations carries live political talk shows. Despite a
2008 European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) judgment that Armenia had
violated freedom of expression by repeatedly and arbitrarily denying
the station a license to the independent television station A1+,
it still remains off air.
On May 22, 2014 Armenia's prosecutor's office made a broad statement
threatening to prosecute media outlets and journalists that report
details of ongoing criminal investigations, citing a criminal code
article, which makes publication of such information a crime punishable
by heavy fines or a one-month arrest. The statement raised concern
among many media outlets, which feared the authorities would use
the criminal code arbitrarily to silence journalists exposing their
failures and corruption in the system.
Following the 2013 presidential elections, OSCE observers noted the
media's "selective approach" to covering post-presidential election
developments, notably limiting views critical of the conduct of the
election. Also, a June 2012 Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe (PACE) report on media freedom in Europe found Armenian
journalists' capacity to report was "hampered by pressures of
self-censorship" and expressed concern about television stations'
use of material from political advertisements in news coverage.
The Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression, a local media
monitoring group, reported six instances of physical violence against
journalists during the first half of 2013. In one case, several young
men forcibly prevented Artak Hambardzumyan, of the group Journalists
for Human Rights, from documenting alleged ballot box stuffing
in Artashat during the presidential election. The committee had
documented 34 instances of pressure on media outlets and journalists
in the first half of 2013.
At least two journalists suffered attacks while covering the May
2012 parliamentary elections. In Yerevan, a man punched Elina
Chilingaryan as she filmed a bus arriving at a polling station,
knocking her camera to the ground. Police brought charges against the
assailant for interfering with the professional duties of a journalist,
but later dropped the charges, claiming that Chilingaryan was not
performing her professional duties at the time of the attack since
she was not wearing her press badge. The authorities did not bring
separate assault charges.
Torture and Ill-treatment in Custody
Armenia accepted a number of recommendations related to the fight
against torture and ill-treatment, including to "ensure that all
allegations of torture and inhuman or degrading treatment are
investigated promptly and that perpetrators are brought to justice."
However, according to local human rights defenders, torture and
ill-treatment in police custody persist, and the definition of torture
in Armenian law does not meet international standards, as it does
not include crimes committed by public officials. Authorities often
refuse to investigate allegations of ill-treatment or pressure victims
to retract complaints. Police use torture to coerce confessions and
incriminating statements from suspects and witnesses.
For example, Artur Karapetyan, detained in October 2012 on charges
of illegal drug distribution, complained of police abuse in custody.
According to his lawyer, Karapetyan showed him wounds on his feet that
he said were from a beating. Karapetyan was subsequently released,
in December 2012, and the charges against him were dropped in April
2013, but police failed to conduct an effective investigation into
his ill-treatment allegations.
In November 2012, Mger Andreasyan testified in a local court that
Yerevan police officers severely beat him after his arrest on robbery
charges. Andreasyan stated that, unable to bear sustained beatings,
he attempted suicide by using his head to break a window in the
investigator's office and trying to jump out, but police prevented
him. Although a Yerevan court dropped escape charges against Andreasyan
in March 2013, there was no investigation into his ill-treatment
allegations.
An October 2012 report of the European Committee for the Prevention
of Torture (CPT) on its follow-up visit in December 2011 noted
overcrowding, unhygienic conditions, and inadequate medical care in
two prison facilities. CPT also noted that it received no new cases
of ill-treatment from these facilities in 2012.
Army Abuses
Violence, noncombat deaths, and ineffective investigations into these
issues remain persistent problems in Armenia. In 2013, the Helsinki
Citizens' Assembly Vanadzor office had reported 29 noncombat army
deaths, including 7 suicides. The authorities fail to investigate
adequately and expose the circumstances of noncombat deaths and to
account for evidence of violence in cases where the death is ruled
a suicide.
In June 2013, in a positive move, parliament amended the law on
alternative military service to remove military supervision from
alternative labor service and reduce it from 42 to 36 months. However,
local activists voiced concerns about the amendments, including the
Defense Ministry's continued decisive role in application decisions,
vague eligibility requirements, and length of service, which would
still be longer than regular military service. By the end of 2013,
33 Jehovah's Witnesses who had been convicted and held for refusing
to perform alternative service were released but were still required
to perform alternative service.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity
Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) rights activists in
Armenia have expressed concern for the alarming level of homophobia
in the country. According to PINK Armenia, a local rights group,
transgender women who engage in sex work are frequently assaulted and
receive no police protection when they report abuse. PINK Armenia
also reported that the LGBT population continues to experience
discrimination in employment, obstacles to accessing health care,
and physical and psychological abuse in the army, in public, and from
their families.
According to an August 2013 Amnesty International report, government
officials frequently condone violent attacks against LGBT people,
characterizing the violence as an expression of "traditional values."
In July 2013, the Armenian police proposed to amend the code of
administrative offenses to establish a fine of up to US$4,000 for
promoting "nontraditional sexual relationships." The proposal was
subsequently withdrawn.
Also in July 2013, a Yerevan court convicted two people for damage to
property stemming from a bomb attack in May 2012 against DIY, a bar
frequented by LGBT and women's rights activists. The two perpetrators
wrote graffiti ???where???, which indicated that GBT people were
the intended targets of the attack. One attacker was sentenced to 19
months in prison and the other received a two-year suspended sentence.
They were both amnestied in October. Local human rights groups
expressed frustration that the sentence was too lenient.
Palliative Care
In 2010 Armenia also accepted several recommendations on enhancing
and expanding access to and the affordability of health-care services.
Human Rights Watch research documented Armenia's complicated and
time-consuming prescription and procurement procedures for opioid
medications obstructing the delivery of adequate palliative care,
condemning most terminally ill patients to unnecessary suffering.
Although morphine is a safe, effective, and inexpensive way to improve
the lives of terminally ill people, Armenia's current consumption
levels of morphine and alternative strong opioid medicines are
insufficient to provide care to all terminally ill cancer patients,
leaving many without adequate pain relief during the last stages of
their illness.
Recommendations
Ensure full implementation of all OSCE/ODIHR election monitoring
report recommendations:
Implement effective measures to eradicate any improper use of
administrative resources in future elections; Ensure an equal playing
field for all contestants, the free expression of the will of the
voters, and the integrity of electoral process.
Ensure that there are no impediments to freedom of assembly and
association:
Promptly, thoroughly and effectively investigate all incidents of use
of force by law enforcement officers, and attacks against peaceful
protesters by unidentified assailants.
Promptly and effectively investigate the threats against the Women's
Resource Center and ensure the safety of its staff.
Ensure freedom of expression and media pluralism:
Review the licensing process to allow greater media diversity; Fully
implement the European Court decision on A1+ television station and
allow it back on air; Ensure thorough and effective investigations
into attacks and threats against journalists; such investigations
should be capable of identifying and prosecuting the perpetrators.
Thoroughly investigate all allegations of torture and ill-treatment
of detainees and hold perpetrators accountable:
Make a statement at the highest level condemning torture and
ill-treatment; Ensure that the definition of torture in domestic
legislation is fully in line with international standards.
Promptly, thoroughly, effectively, and transparently investigate all
cases of noncombat deaths and ill-treatment in the army, and hold
perpetrators accountable:
Ensure that conscientious objectors are provided with a genuine
alternative to military service, which is not discriminatory.
Uphold the government's international obligations on non-discrimination
on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, whether in a
public or private sectors:
Thoroughly and effectively investigate all attacks and threats against
individuals on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Take immediate steps to ensure an effective supply and distribution
system of strong pain medications:
Reform excessively onerous drug control regulations that interfere
with opioids availability.
http://www.hrw.org/news/2014/06/17/universal-periordic-review-human-rights-watch-submission-armenia