Armenia political crisis persists: US gov’t
The significantly flawed February 2008 presidential election and
violent break-up of ensuing protests that resulted in 10 deaths in
Armenia continued to fuel a political crisis in the country that
remained largely unresolved during the year and resulted in
numerous human rights abuses, the US State Department has said.
In its 2009 Human Rights Report released on Thursday, it said
authorities restricted the right of citizens to freely change their
government in mayoral elections in the capital Yerevan. During the
year authorities subjected citizens, particularly those considered
by the government to be political opponents, to arbitrary arrest,
detention, and imprisonment for their political activities; lengthy
pretrial detention also continued to be a problem.
Armenia’s civilian authorities generally maintained effective
control of the security forces, although some members of the
security forces continued to commit human rights abuses with
impunity while under the direction of civilian leadership, the US
government concluded.
It said authorities continued to use harassment and intrusive
application of bureaucratic measures to intimidate and retaliate
against political opponents. Authorities used force to disperse
political demonstrations and constrain citizens seeking to
publicize them. Police beat pretrial detainees and failed to
provide due process in some cases. The National Security Service
(NSS) and police acted with impunity in committing alleged human
rights abuses. In spite of renovations and new construction, prison
conditions remained cramped and unhealthy, the report said.
It also said authorities denied citizens the right to a fair trial.
News outlets, especially in the broadcast media, practiced a high
degree of self-censorship, and authorities continued to restrict
media pluralism, including through a moratorium on renewal of
broadcasting licenses. There were multiple attacks against
journalists, and the government rarely identified or prosecuted
perpetrators.
The report notes that authorities restricted freedom of assembly,
rejecting numerous applications filed by political opponents to
hold demonstrations at requested venues, and often prevented
spontaneous assembly by citizens. Corruption remained widespread,
and authorities did not make determined efforts to combat it.
The report also said authorities and laws restricted religious
freedom. Violence against women and spousal abuse, trafficking in
persons was also reported.*