THREATS AGAINST WOMEN’S RIGHTS GROUPS ESCALATE IN ARMENIA
Targeted News Service
September 16, 2013 Monday 11:26 PM EST
WASHINGTON
The Freedom House issued the following news release:
Freedom House is deeply concerned by threats against Armenian NGOs
working on women’s rights and gender-equality issues, and calls upon
the Armenian authorities to conduct thorough investigations of the
incidents.
President Serzh Sargsyan signed the “Law on Equal Rights and Equal
Opportunities for Men and Women” in June 2013, prompting extremists
groups to launch a smear campaign with calls for violence against
women’s rights NGOs, activists, and human rights defenders working
on gender equality and gender-based violence in Armenia.
According to the Human Rights House Network, the Women’s Resource
Center of Armenia specifically became a target on various extremists’
websites with users threatening violence against the NGO. This ongoing
campaign of violent rhetoric on such websites has labeled women’s
human rights activists as “destroyers of families” and “traitors
of the nation.” Further attempts to discredit their work have tied
those working on gender equality with the promotion of homosexuality
and pedophilia.
While these threats have been reported to the police, authorities have
taken no investigative action or any efforts to ensure protection
for the NGOs that have been targeted. Furthermore, some members of
the National Assembly indirectly endorsed the attacks on the Women’s
Resource Center by invoking defense of traditional Armenian values.
“Taking no action in investigating the threats against gender equality
activists, and specifically the Women’s Resource Center Armenia,
not to mention endorsement by members of the National Assembly
of such attacks, sends a message that the government is complicit
in supporting gender-based violence, gender inequality and gender
discrimination in Armenia,” commented Chloe Schwenke, vice president
for global programs at Freedom House.
Freedom House calls on the Armenian government both to conduct a
full and transparent investigation into the threats against the
Women’s Resource Center Armenia and other groups and also to ensure
their protection in line with domestic law as well as international
commitments to which Armenia is a signatory.
Armenia is rated Partly Free in Freedom in the World 2013 and Not
Free in Freedom of the Press 2013.
To learn more about Armenia, visit:
Freedom in the World 2013: Armenia
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Freedom of the Press 2013: Armenia
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Nations in Transit 2013: Armenia
()
Blog: Freedom at Issue ()
Freedom House is an independent watchdog organization that supports
democratic change, monitors the status of freedom around the world,
and advocates for democracy in human rights.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
