ANNUAL RECORD OF THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT
A1+
[08:26 pm] 06 April, 2007
Armenia is a republic with a popularly elected president and a
unicameral legislature. A constitutional referendum in 2005 and
presidential and National Assembly elections in 2003 were seriously
flawed and did not meet international standards. The government’s
human rights record remained poor, and serious problems remained.
Citizens were not able freely to change their government; authorities
beat pretrial detainees; the national security service and the national
police force acted with impunity; authorities engaged in arbitrary
arrest and detention; prison conditions were cramped and unhealthy,
although slowly improving; and authorities imposed restrictions on
citizens’ privacy, freedom of the press, and freedom of assembly.
The judiciary, while still subject to political pressure and
corruption, gained some independence from the entry into force of
new constitutional revisions during the year. Journalists practiced
self censorship, and the government and laws restricted religious
freedom. Violence against women and spousal abuse were problems,
as were trafficking in persons, discrimination against persons with
disabilities, and societal harassment of homosexuals. There were
reports of forced labor.
The U.S. human rights strategy for the country focused on promoting
democratic institutions and processes, independent media, freedom of
assembly, a vibrant civil society, the rule of law, human rights,
freedom of religion, and adoption of concrete measures to combat
trafficking. In anticipation of parliamentary and presidential
elections in 2007 and 2008, respectively, U.S. assistance programs
sought to improve electoral systems, procedures, and infrastructure.
The country’s five-year Millennium Challenge Compact is tied
to its performance on these and other indicators related to good
governance. It remains eligible for funding under the compact despite
its regression in democratic governance indicators during the year;
however, U.S. officials warned the government that continued funding
is contingent upon its progress in that area.
The U.S. Government continued implementation of its three-year
democracy promotion strategy, which focused on enhancing the
capabilities of the election administration, including working to
produce accurate voter lists, providing public information and voter
education, developing a democratic political culture, building public
opinion polling capacity, strengthening fair electoral adjudication,
enhancing election monitoring capabilities, strengthening political
parties, and increasing independent media coverage of elections.
U.S. grants funded production of a documentary about participatory
democracy in one local village, as well as several public-awareness
campaigns on voting procedures and the establishment of centers to
teach young people about democratic governance.
During the year U.S. officials consistently emphasized the importance
of media freedom and responsibility in contacts with high-level
government officials, media directors, and journalists. The United
States funded a program to develop professional and sustainable media
outlets, decrease the media’s heavy dependence on sponsorship from
political and private interests, and encourage outlets to adjust
their programming to respond to public concerns.
Building on the successes of earlier efforts, the program supported
training and technical assistance to help media outlets qualify
for and repay loans provided by the United States. The program also
established a television ratings system that would provide information
critical to helping media outlets develop audience-based programming
and increase advertising revenues. Under the International Visitor
Leadership Program, the U.S. Government sent eight print journalists
and eight broadcast journalists to the United States to learn about
the media’s role in the U.S. midterm elections.
To help increase public access to independent sources of information,
U.S. programs facilitated the technical and programmatic transfer of
Internet Connectivity Centers, which had been installed in 2005, to the
Ministry of Education. The centers connected the country’s citizens and
schoolchildren with one another as well as to the rest of the world.
Through the centers, a nationwide network of schools and communities
engaged in organized discussion forums, courses, and other learning
activities, including curricula on principles of democracy, civic
involvement, and community development.
Two American Corners provided information about U.S.
democratic institutions and facilitated cultural events, including an
ongoing series of guest lectures by U.S. officials and exchange program
alumni. Lecture topics included U.S. constitutional amendments, civil
society and the state in America, American journalism and politics,
grassroots political work in the United States, and the U.S. midterm
elections.
U.S. officials promoted a vibrant civil society by encouraging
the government, independent and opposition political parties, and
civil society organizations to engage in constructive dialogue on
governance issues.
With substantial U.S. funding, local NGOs pursued initiatives to
promote human rights, democratic development, and civil society. These
efforts to strengthen civil society produced concrete results.
A government-proposed bill on lobbying, originally introduced and
tabled in the National Assembly in 2005, resurfaced and threatened to
significantly curtail the ability of civil society groups to advocate
reform; however, effective lobbying by local and international
NGOs–many of which the United States supported–persuaded the
National Assembly to table the bill again. Additional U.S. grants
improved the technical skills of NGOs.
U.S. officials in the country urged the government to respect freedom
of assembly and closely monitored the few demonstrations and rallies
that took place during the year.
To promote the rule of law and fight corruption, the United
States provided grants that supported anticorruption workshops and
publications and facilitated the publication of 12 investigative
reports on corruption cases around the country. U.S.
programs also helped support the new Chamber of Advocates, which
began work in 2005 to establish a code of ethics for attorneys and
in September held the first competitive and transparent bar exam in
the country’s history.
The United States conducted several training programs for judges
and attorneys with the aim of bringing law enforcement and judicial
practices into line with international standards. Specifically,
U.S. officials conducted a seminar to familiarize members of
the judicial branch with the European Convention on Human Rights
and related case law and published 300 copies of the Manual on the
Practice of the European Court of Human Rights for dissemination to
defense lawyers and prosecutors.
The U.S. Government also made a concentrated effort to improve criminal
procedure laws in accordance with international standards by bringing
experts to the United States to review draft legislation with local
authorities. The United States also encouraged the president’s office
to enhance its anticorruption efforts. To fight a pervasive culture
of corruption, every U.S. assistance program during the year included
anticorruption components.
To promote respect for human rights, U.S. grants funded
public-awareness campaigns and training workshops on domestic
violence. U.S. officials in the country maintained close, collaborative
relations with local human rights defenders and representatives of
human rights NGOs.
The ambassador and other U.S. officials frequently discussed religious
freedom problems with government and religious leaders as part of the
overall policy to promote human rights. The U.S. Government maintained
close contact with the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the
country’s national church; leaders of other religious and ecumenical
groups in the country; and regional representatives of foreign-based
religious groups, such as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and Baha’is, and raised their concerns
with the government.
U.S. officials took an active role in policy forums and NGO roundtables
regarding religious freedom. In meetings with government officials,
U.S. officials consistently raised the importance of the government
establishing alternatives to military service for Jehovah’s Witnesses
who are conscientious objectors.
An American Corner lecture in December addressed the topic of religion
in the United States.
Combating human trafficking in the country remained a top priority, and
U.S. diplomacy on this front produced concrete results. U.S. officials
met frequently with high-level members of the government, resulting
in the allocation of funds for the government’s national action plan
on trafficking and the restructuring of the prosecutor general’s
antitrafficking unit. One visiting U.S. official delivered an address
at an international antitrafficking conference in Yerevan that was
covered by national media. The United States also funded a program
that provided a safe haven and medical, social, and legal services for
trafficking victims, facilitated the repatriation of 10 trafficking
victims, and supported a victim hotline.
The United States funded two comprehensive antitrafficking studies
and published their conclusions. In June the United States conducted
an antitrafficking seminar for judges, prosecutors, investigators,
and police. The United States also funded the distribution of an
antitrafficking manual for the country’s consular personnel stationed
abroad, as well as a survey of the country’s laws to uncover gaps
in antitrafficking statutes. The United States also contributed
significant funding to the Organization of Security and Cooperation
in Europe’s robust antitrafficking programs in the country.