Amnesty International report
The Amnesty International law defense organization released its annual report in which it touches upon the current situation facing human rights in Armenia.
The advocates have recapped the events of the year with their focus mainly on March 1-2 and the events that followed.
"At least 10 people died, including two police officers, and over 350 were injured, including some 58 policemen. Police were reported as using truncheons, iron bars, tracer bullets, tear gas and conducted energy devices," as described in Amnesty International's report.
Touching upon the arrests of opposition members, the advocates note:
"Some of those arrested were reportedly beaten or ill-treated in police custody. Many of those arrested were still in pre-trial detention at the end of the year. The Council of Europe repeatedly expressed concern at the excessive length of the official inquiry into the March events and the continued imprisonment of dozens of opposition supporters.
The report includes a separate section on the authorities' bans on public meetings and demonstrations.
"On March 17, the National Assembly approved amendments to the law on public assembly giving local authorities the power to ban public meetings. After the lifting of the stte of emergency there were continued reports of extensive detentions and harassment by security officials of citizens gathering in public places in central Yerevan," as stated in the report.
The report also mentions that concerns expressed by the OSCE and the Council of Europe led to the Armenian authorities agreeing on April 22 to the repeal or revision of the March amendements, yet Yerevan municipal authorities continued to ban some demonstrations by the opposition.
The Amnesty International report also refers to the assaults against journalists, advocates and NGO representatives throughout 2008.
The report recalls the assaults against "Haykakan Zhamanak" daily journalist Lusine Barseghyan, acting head of the Armenian Service of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty Hratch Melkumyan and a special report on the Gyumri-based television station Gala TV.
"A number of assaults on opposition and human rights activists were not investigated promptly or thoroughly," say advocates. This especially refers to the assaults against Director of the Armenian Helsinki Association Michael Danielyan on May 21, 2008, young opposition activist Arsen Kharatyan on May 28 and member of the "Hima" youth movement Narek Hovakimyan on June 25.
"No one had been charged for these assaults by the end of the year," say experts at Amnesty International.
The report also includes information regarding pressures against the Jehovah's Witnesses religious organization and domestic violence. According to data, as of September 1, 2008, 77 young men were in prison for refusing on grounds of conscience to perform military service.
The law-defense organization also claims that "women's situation in Armenia is rather critical."
"Over a quarter of women in Armenia were said to have been hit by a family member and about two-thirds were said to have experienced psychological abuse, yet the authorities failed to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women," as stated in the Amnesty International report released on Thursday.
