Non-renewal of licences of foreign broadcasters in Azerbaijan Statement by Miguel Ángel Moratinos, Chairman of the Committee of Ministers and Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs and Co-operation, and Lluís Maria De Puig, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Strasbourg, 15.01.2009

Co-reporters of the PACE Monitoring Committee John Prescott, George Colombie and Secretary of the Committee Bas Klein are once again in Yerevan in order to be familiar with the situation at hand before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) winter assembly.

The Special Investigate Service (SIS) looking into the events of March 1 has identified the civilian arming himself with an automatic machine in the presence of servicemen seen in the opposition's film.

The Appellate Court of the Republic of Armenia will hear the protest against the Court of General Jurisdiction of Kentron and Nork-Marash districts on January 16.

“Vardan Jhangiryan’s state is still most concerning. He is still in bed and needs rest cure. Jhangiryan suffers from a few diseases which cannot be cured in Armenia,” says Lusine Sahakyan, Advocate of ex Deputy Prosecutor Gagik Jhangiryan and his brother Vardan Jhangiryan.

A group of Armenian political prisoners have addressed a letter to John Prescott and Georges Colombier, Co-rapporteurs of the Monitoring Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE).

Members of the “Heritage” faction Armen Martirosyan and Anahit Bakhshyan met today with prisoners Armen Khurshudyan and Gevorg Manukyan at the “Nubarashen” penitentiary.

The European Court upheld the claim of political prisoner and member of the “Hanrapetutyun” (Republic) party Zhora Sapeyan, who is currently in jail. He is generally known for being active and has been arrested in 2003 and 2004 as well.

Member of the PACE Armenia delegation, leader of “Heritage” party Raffi Hovhannisyan will most probably not leave for Strasburg in late January, told “A1+” Hovhannisyan’s press speaker Hovsep Khurshudyan.

The “Case of the Seven”-separate from the “March 1 case”- didn’t start today either. The injured parties demanded Mnatsakan Martirosyan to finally start the trial.

According to head of the Vanadzor office of the Helsinki Citizen’s Assembly Artur Sakunts, the Freedom House evaluation of Armenia doesn’t correspond to reality.

After press releases, the public relations department of the National Assembly of Armenia finally decided to officially release the letter sent December 30 by Chairman of the National Assembly Hovik Abrahamyan to the chairmen of PACE-member parliaments.

Head of the ruling parliamentary faction Galust Sahakyan believes that the most important event of the year was that Armenia elected a president who is dedicated, experienced and instills hope in the people.

Visit of the work group to the “Nubarashen”, “Clinic for Convicts” and “Yerevan-Kentron” penitentiaries of the RA Justice Ministry With the assignment of the RA Ombudsman, the Ombudsman’s administration officials visited the “Vardashen” and “Yerevan-Kentron” penitentiaries of the RA Justice Ministry on December 25, 2008, met with detainees Sargis Hacpanyan and Hakob Hakobyan. On December 26, 2008, they visited the “Nubarashen”...

Family, friends and relatives of those accused of the “Case of the Seven” had gathered near the court building today before the trial began in the general jurisdiction court of Shengavit.

The trial of the “Case of the Seven” was postponed today to January 9, 2009 before it even began in the half-empty courtroom.

“A MILLION PEOPLE TOOK A BREATH OF AIR IN FREEDOM SQUARE AT LEAST ONCE" YEAR-END STATEMENT OF THE ARMENIAN NATIONAL CONGRESS “Dear fellow Armenians, The year 2008 is drawing to an end. It was a year of falsified presidential elections, violence perpetrated by the bandit administration, mass political persecutions, cynicism, massacres of peaceful demonstrators on March 1 and ongoing infringements...

A1+ has become a nationwide symbol today. When the Council of Europe says “return A1+ to the air,” it means the lacks freedom of speech in Armenia. Moreover, the European Court of Human Rights also demands to reopen A1+

“There have been over 3000 cases of violation of the cease-fire regime on the contact line of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijani Armed Forces this year,” said Andranik Mkrtumyan, head of the frontier representation of the General Staff of RA Armed Forces.

French civilian and Karabakh war veteran Sargis Hatspanyan has been on a hunger strike already for 26 days. Today at 10:00 Hatspanyan went on water strike, Hatspanyan’s Advocate Givi Hovhannisyan informed A1+.

Today the police escort sent after Vardan Jhangiryan, the brother of ex Deputy Prosecutor General Gagik Jhangiryan, returned to the court without the defendant.

Judge of the European Court of Human Rights Alvina Gyulumyan touched upon the verdict reached by the EC for the lawsuit filed by “A1+” during a press conference today. Gyulumyan noted that the fulfillment of the verdict is mandatory and the Ministerial Committee is following-up on the completion.

Advocate Stepan Voskanyan who presents the interests of detainee Grigor Voskerchyan announced today that his defendant had been severely beaten in the “Nubarashen” penitentiary institution on December 23.

However, the committee was seriously concerned about the limited progress achieved with regard to the demands of the Assembly concerning the persons deprived of their liberty in relation to the events of 1 and 2 March 2008, especially concerning those charged under Articles 225 and 300 of the Criminal Code of Armenia, and prosecution cases based solely on police testimony without substantial corroborating evidence.