Azernews.Az

By Sabina Idayatova

The head of OSCE's Yerevan Office, Ambassador Andrey Sorokin has expressed concern about violence against civilian activists in Armenia, News Armenia reported citing the Office's press-service.

The head of OSCE's Yerevan Office recalled cases of pressure and physical violence which took place on September 5 against civilian activists when they were returning from a protest rally against Armenia's membership in the Customs Union that has been held outside the office of the Republican Party.

According to a media outlet, the activists were beaten by unknown people in one of the central streets of the Armenian capital.

"I am concerned about the possible violation of rights to peaceful assembly during protest actions in Yerevan and unreasonable pressure on demonstrators," Sorokin said in the statement.

"Besides the injuries inflicted on these people, similar incidents can also have a negative impact on civic engagement and social atmosphere," Sorokin noted.

The head of the Yerevan Office stressed the importance of conducting an investigation at a required level and called on the law enforcement bodies to take urgent steps in this direction.

"Timely implementation of justice and detection of criminals will help to keep the public trust in state structures, promoting engagement and constructivism of civil society," he noted.

Meanwhile, the U.S. Embassy in Armenia also condemned attacks on civil society activists, including a U.S. citizen, Armenia Today reported.

According to the report the attacks began on August 22, 2013.

"During the last attack on September 5, two citizens were brutally beaten, as a result of which they were taken to the hospital, where one of them was operated on. In parallel to the attack there have been a lot of reports that the activists are being persecuted, threatened and terrorized," the statement said.

The U.S. Embassy urged the Armenian government to take immediate measures to condemn these attacks, to investigate and to punish those responsible.

"The government must guarantee citizens' fundamental rights for assembly, expression, and freedom of speech without fear of retrial," the statement said.

Furthermore, more than 30 Armenian NGOs sent a letter to the UN Commissioner for Human Rights to pay attention to the structure of the case of activists, as well as acts of violence committed in recent years in relation to other participants in peaceful demonstrations, which, according to the authors of the letter, carried out by special groups formed of criminal elements and acting with the permission of the police.