DO THEY REALLY KNOW WHAT HAPPENED ON MARCH 1?

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“We are well aware of the March 1-2 occurrences in Yerevan City but not all Europeans know the harsh reality,” Norwegian representative of the Human Rights House (HRH) Foundation Anna Bonde said to A1+ today. Anna Bonde is in Armenia on a two-day visit.

Asked what exactly they know about the March 1 events, Mrs. Bonde said: “We know that the presidential election was followed by peaceful rallies and marches. People were beaten and ten were killed. More than 100 people were taken into custody for their political viewpoints and 50 of them are still under arrest. We agree with the PACE that all detainees should be freed.”

Although international structures use the phrase “people arrested on political motivation” rather than political prisoners, Mrs. Bonde underscores the fact that they have registered a major violation of human rights.

The HRH representative is also concerned that no one has been brought to court for the murder of the ten victims.

“We know that no policeman has stood trial in connection to March 1 unrest,” she said and added that protest actions are held in all countries of the world, even in Norway. But in no country they are followed by mass killings. “Our policemen never carry guns and respect the right to rallies. The March 1-2 events in Yerevan are rеally much concerning,” she said.

Freedom of mass media in Armenian is also worrying. “The Armenian leadership ignores the decision of the European Court of Human Rights in view of embattled A1+. The authorities are to restore the Company's violated rights.”

“After the ECHR decision the Armenian leadership was to change its stance towards A1+ Company. The authorities should realise that pluralism is a precondition for democracy.”

When comparing the mass media of the three regional countries, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia, Mrs. Bonde said: “Today journalists are beaten in the three countries but the number of detained journalists is comparatively grater in Azerbaijan.”

Mrs. Bonde also noted that in the three countries elections had been followed by mass protests but only in Armenia they ended in carnage.

During her visit Mrs. Bonde has met with the Armenian Human Rights Defender and advocates of political prisoners.

“We want to set up a HRH network in South Caucasus. HRH offices will be opened in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Each office will recruit ten representatives from public organisations,” said Anna Bonde. The network will provide true account about the cases of human rights violations in the countries under question.

Anna Bode will come to Armenia at the beginning of 2009 to study the situation in Armenian more thoroughly.