Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

During last autumn’s six-week war between in Nagorno-Karabakh, as Azerbaijani forces took control of areas in and around the region, they rounded up local civilians. Most younger civilians had fled the hostilities. Those remaining, with few exceptions, were older people who did not want to abandon their homes.

Human Rights Watch (HRW)has documented several cases in which Azerbaijani forces used violence to detain civilians and subjected them to torture and inhuman and degrading conditions of detention. Two detainees died in Azerbaijani captivity; one of them, based on the evidence, was most likely the victim of an extrajudicial execution. Azerbaijani forces detained these civilians even though there was no evidence that they posed any security threat – they had no weapons and did not participate in the hostilities.

More than three months after the truce, Azerbaijan has returned a total of 69 Armenian Prisoners of War (POWs) and civilians. An Armenian foreign ministry representative told HRW that they believe more than a dozen civilians are still in Azerbaijani custody. Their families are increasingly distraught, especially in light of the abundance of graphic videos of abuse of prisoners circulating on social media, and the horrendous accounts of some of those who have been repatriated.

HRW reminds that under the Fourth Geneva Convention, which sets out protections for civilians in an international armed conflict, civilians are “protected persons.” The convention requires that anyone “taking no active part in the hostilities, […] shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, color, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.”

Also, as a state party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the European Convention on Human Rights, Azerbaijan is bound by prohibitions on arbitrary detention as well as on torture and other degrading or inhuman treatment.

“The willful killing and ill-treatment of protected persons that we document constitute war crimes under international humanitarian law. Azerbaijani authorities should, without further delay, investigate the credible allegations regarding the unlawful detention of these civilians, their inhuman and degrading treatment, and the possible extrajudicial execution of a detainee, with a view to holding all perpetrators to account. They should also promptly free and repatriate any and all civilians who remain in their custody,” says Tanya Lokshina,  Associate Director, Europe and Central Asia Division.

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Armenia’s economic freedom score is 71.9, making its economy the 32nd (up from 34th last year) freest in the world, according to the 2021 Index of Economic Freedom published by the Heritage Foundation.

Armenia’s overall score has increased by 1.3 points, primarily because of an improvement in fiscal health. Armenia is ranked 18th among 45 countries in the Europe region, and its overall score is above the regional and world averages.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Georgia 12th, Turkey – 76th, Azerbaijan 38th, Iran – 168th.

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Kazakhstan are ranked 92nd and 34th respectively, Belarus is 95th, Kyrgyzstan is 78th.

Singapore tops the list, followed by New Zealand and Australia.

Economic freedom in Armenia has hovered between moderately free and mostly free for many years. GDP growth during the reporting period has continued to be strong. To institutionalize higher levels of economic freedom more firmly, the government needs to maintain its focus on improving judicial effectiveness and government integrity. Stronger rule of law would also have a positive impact on investment freedom.

IMPACT OF COVID-19: As of December 1, 2020, 2,193 deaths had been attributed to the pandemic in Armenia, and the economy was forecast to contract by 4.5 percent for the year.

Armenia and Artsakh are rated as “partly free” in a new report published by the Freedom House.

Armenia’s neighbor Georgia is also ranked as “partly free,” while Azerbaijan, Turkey and Iran are all labeled as “not free.”

As a lethal pandemic, economic and physical insecurity, and violent conflict ravaged the world in 2020, democracy’s defenders sustained heavy new losses in their struggle against authoritarian foes, shifting the international balance in favor of tyranny, Freedom Hose says in the “Freedom in the World 2021:  Democracy under Siege” report.

“Incumbent leaders increasingly used force to crush opponents and settle scores, sometimes in the name of public health, while beleaguered activists—lacking effective international support—faced heavy jail sentences, torture, or murder in many settings,” the report notes.

“The use of military force by authoritarian states, another symptom of the global decay of democratic norms, was on display in Nagorno-Karabakh last year. New fighting erupted in September when the Azerbaijani regime, with decisive support from Turkey, launched an offensive to settle a territorial dispute that years of diplomacy with Armenia had failed to resolve. At least 6,500 combatants and hundreds of civilians were killed, and tens of thousands of people were newly displaced. Meaningful international engagement was absent, and the war only stopped when Moscow imposed a peacekeeping plan on the two sides, fixing in place the Azerbaijani military’s territorial gains but leaving many other questions unanswered,” Freedom House said.

“The fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh has had spillover effects for democracy. In addition to strengthening the rule of Azerbaijan’s authoritarian president, Ilham Aliyev, the conflict threatens to destabilize the government in Armenia. A rare bright spot in a region replete with deeply entrenched authoritarian leaders, Armenia has experienced tentative gains in freedom since mass antigovernment protests erupted in 2018 and citizens voted in a more reform-minded government,” the report said.

It added that the signing of the trilateral statement to end the war by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan sparked a violent reaction among some opponents, who stormed the parliament in November and physically attacked the speaker.

“Such disorder threatens the country’s hard-won progress, and could set off a chain of events that draws Armenia closer to the autocratic tendencies of its neighbors,”  Freedom House said.

In the response to an urgent written question sent to the European Commission by the Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Loucas Fourlas (Cyprus, EPP), EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission Josep Borrell stated on behalf of the European Commission that the latter deplores the damages caused to the Shushi Ghazanchetsots Cathedral by the Azerbaijani armed forces,  reports the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD).

In the urgent written question addressed by MEP Fourlas, it is mentioned that the Azerbaijani armed forces targeted and attacked Shushi’s Ghazanchetsots Cathedral on 8 October 2020, in violation of international rules of war. The MEP asks the European Commission whether the latter is planning to take steps “to protect both the civilian population and places of worship” in Artsakh/ Nagorno Karabakh that are currently under the Azerbaijani control.

Responding to the MEP, the European Commission stated that it deplores the destruction of religious and historic monuments in Nagorno Karabakh and underlines the importance of preserving and restoring the cultural and religious heritage.

Furthermore, in his answer the High Representative refers to the United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347 (2017), which gives the definition of the war crimes, targeting of the religious, educational and cultural centers.

The European Commission also welcomes the mission initiated by UNESCO to the regions of Nagorno Karabakh currently under the Azerbaijani control aimed at establishing a first factural assessment of the Armenian cultural heritage. It will also contribute to supporting the preservation and restoration of the cultural sites.

Commenting on the response of the written question, the EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian stated: “Azerbaijan has to bear full responsibility for the gruesome war crimes committed during and after the 2020 war in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh, including targeting civilian settlements as well as religious sites i.a. the Holy Savior Ghazanchetsots Cathedral in Shushi. Shushi has undeniably been a historical Armenian city, an important center for culture and education, and the symbol of the Armenian revival of Artsakh. The international community and the relevant organizations must closely follow and monitor the preservation of the Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the region. We should not allow yet another act of cultural genocide, such as the destruction of thousands of Armenian medieval cross-stones in Nakhijevan by the Azerbaijani authorities in 2006. Any attempt of demolition of historic Armenian presence in Artsakh/Nagorno Karabakh must be prevented and strongly condemned.”

Juventus have been linked with a move for Roma’s attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who has rediscovered his best form this season but is out of contract in the summer, Calciomercatonews reports.

Juve have been keeping tabs on Mkhitaryan for years and were interested in a move for the Armenia international during his time with Borussia Dortmund.

Calciomercatonews says that he was one player that Juventus monitored during their match with his team yesterday.

The Armenian is represented by Mino Raiola, who has a very fine relationship with Juventus.