ACCORDING TO HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH, IN 2008 ARMENIA EXPERIENCED MOST SERIOUS POLITICAL AND CIVIL RIGHTS CRISIS
Noyan Tapan
Jan 15, 2009
YEREVAN, JANUARY 15, NOYAN TAPAN. According to the Human Rights
Watch international organization, in 2008 Armenia experienced the most
serious political and civil rights crisis since the independence. Radio
Liberty reported this referring to organization’s report.
"According to international experts’ conviction, on March 1 security
forces used disproportionate force to citizens complaining against the
results of the presidential elections, and the state of emergency
announced from March 1 temporarily limited a number of basic
rights. Both actions were widely criticized by the international
community," Human Rights Watch mentioned.
Enumerating the main events that happened last year, the report authors
wrote: "Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan won the February 19 elections,
but the acts of violence and falsifications of that day cast a shadow
on that election."
"Recording that on the voting day in a number of polling stations
opposition activists, journalists and local observers were attacked
by the opposite camp, Human Rights Watch emphasized: "Some cases of
attacks were recorded with the presence of policemen and officials
involved in the electoral process. However, the latters did not
intervene in the incidents, moreover, there was even a case when
a policeman assisted those attacking. The international observers
reported about the violations committed during the elections, including
agitation carried out on the voting day, stuffing ballot-boxes, voter
buying, and mistakes committed when calculating the votes. Meanwhile
the observers criticised the Central Electoral Commission for obviously
failing proper investigation of the complaints."
Touching upon post-electoral developments the organization stated:
"Thousands of supporters of the main opposition candidate, Levon
Ter-Petrosian, after the elections started organizing actions
of protest in Yerevan center, which were peaceful for 10 days
running. However, on March 1 special Police forces started a conflict
with the demonstrants, used disproportionate force, beat them with
clubs, and attacked the demonstrants who tried to evade."
After arresting hundreds of oppositionists, according to the human
rights organization, policemen committed a number of procedure
violations, including depriving the arrested people of the possibility
of communicating with the outer world and having a lawyer. And already
the voting process caused suspicions to a fair legal procedure. It
was mentioned that "a number of arrested people were convicted only
on the basis of policemen’s evidence and with a speeded-up judicial
procedure."
Touching upon independent investigation of the March 1 events, the
report read: "Armenia’s authorities took some steps in this direction
under PACE pressures, but no one has been called for liability for
the victims so far."
According to the report, the freedom of expression right was also
violated, acts of violence were used to journalists criticizing
the authorities last year: "The journalists covering the February
actions of protest had become a target for the Police. In particular,
law enforcers attacked photojournalist Gagik Shamshian, who later,
on March 1, was beaten by policemen, was arrested, hospitalized
due to his injuries, and was released only after the mediation of
the RA Ombudsman. On March 1 the Police also hindered the work of
Radio Liberty journalist, beat the driver, as well as arrested two
journalists during actions of protest in Gyumri and Yerevan."
The report also touched upon checkings done by the tax bodies at
the GALA Gyumri TV company and the revealed abuses stating: "These
steps are widely perceived as a retribution for broadcasting first
President Levon Ter-Petrosian’s speeches criticizing government’s
activity." It was mentioned that violence was also used to a number
of journalists for their professional activity, including Haykakan
Zhamanak correspondent Lusine Barseghian and head of Radio Liberty’s
Yerevan Office Hrach Melkumian.
According to Human Rights Watch, people’s right to hold gatherings
was also violated last year. Stating that in the days of state
of emergency announced in March the National Assembly introduced
limitations to the law regulating this sphere, then reconsidered
them under international community’s pressure, the report recorded:
"The government rejected opposition’s many applications on holding
public actions of protest in late March, at least 90 people were
arrested for taking part in peaceful political walks."
"Besides, the report authors continue, according to Armenian human
rights activists, physical pressures were exerted on some of those
detained on the March 1 events during the arrests, when moving them
from one police department to another or in the isolation ward, while
the officials did not investigate these complaints." In general,
according to the report, tortures and bad attitude to imprisoned
people remain a widely spread phenomenon in Armenia’s prisons.
In the report’s concluding part Human Rights Watch recorded: "The
international observers estimated the February presidential elections
as mainly corresponding to the commitments assumed by the country,
but expressed concerns on the electoral process. The European Union has
also repeatedly expressed concern on force used by the authorities and
demonstrants’ arrests, and the United States dampened the allocations
of the Millennium Challenge corporation’s five-year program."