1. Freedom of Movement

Yerevan Again Blocked

[20.04.2004]

It is hard to enter Yerevan from Vanadzor City today. People who managed to get
Yerevan say Lori District policemen have blocked 2 highways from Vanadzor to
Yerevan - Vanadzor-Aparan-Yerevan and Vanadzor-Sevan-Yerevan.

Policemen stop all the cars, even taxies and private ones. They try to find why
people come to Yerevan. They ask people if they are going to partake in the
rally on April 21.

If law-enforcement bodies don’t believe explanations, they start carrying
campaign convincing people not to partake in the rallies.



http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1640

2. Freedom of Media and Broadcasting

a. NTV Broadcasting Stopped Because Of Burnt Out Relay
Station

[20.04.2004]

The broadcasting of the Russian TV channel NTV in Armenia was stopped because of
a burnt out relay station.

A source from the Relay Network of Armenia company says that the repairs of the
import relay station will take several days. The source promises that in a few
days the broadcasting will be resumed Hence, the broadcasting was stopped
because of a breakdown rather for some political reasons.

Nevertheless it has been actively rumoured in Armenia that NTV was switched off
because of telecasting the mass disorders during the Apr 5 opposition rally. It
should be noted that the same relay station broke down last year after NTV
showed the rally of the Armenian opposition on the eve of the presidential
election. Then the broadcasting was restored in 2 weeks.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1639

b. Statement of "Ambion" Newspaper

[20.04.2004]

”Ambion” /Rostrum/ Newspaper Editor-in-Chief Narine Mkrtchyan has released the
statement: “Press Service of Armenian President periodically hinders “Ambion”
Newspaper activity”.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1641

3. The use of administrative arrest as a tool of
political repression.

Persecution of dissenters. Violation of journalists’ rights.

a. Prominent Oppositionist Beaten Up As Police Resume Mass Arrests


[22.04.2004]

On April 22 , around 13:00, on the Tumanyan Street of Yerevan, a famous public
and political activist Ashot Manoucharian was severely beaten by unknown
persons. Ashot Manoucharian received serious injuries and was hospitalized.

THE PROMPT RESPONSE GROUP ON HUMAN RIGHTS PROTECTION distributed the statement
condemning the fact of using violence against public and political figure Ashot
Manoucharian.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=guest&id=41


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1647

b. Intellectuals Don’t Believe Law Machinery


[22.04.2004]

Intelligentsia has today referred to violence committed to Ashot Manucharyan and
disclosure of it. They announce they distrust the Armenian Police and will
launch their own investigation.

”It’s the consequence of the atmosphere Authorities have created and they are
responsible for that”, intellectuals announce. They say to fear for future of
Armenia.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1651

c. Arrests After Rallies Are Rule


[22.04.2004]

After Opposition rally yesterday Armenian law machinery took about 30 citizens
in detention. But the actions of law-enforcement bodies were illegal.

”Justice” Bloc member MP Shavarsh Kocharyan announces “law machinery” in civil
clothes were busy with man hunting.

At the end of the rally they separately approached people, put them into cars
and took to unknown directions.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1646

d. Again Arresting

[20.04.2004]

Norq Commune policemen have today visited the house of Colonel Gegham
Harutyunyan, ex Deputy Defense Minister and member of “Republic” Party political
board, and summoned him to the police department. Then he was accused of
ribaldry.

Law-enforcement bodies tried to take Harutyunyan to Court to subject him to
administrative amenability. He refused to go to Court without an advocate.
Gegham Harutyunyan is now in Norq Police Department.

It is to remind that at April 13 night Harutyunyan was arrested in “Republic”
Party Office and taken to temporary cell.

But then he was released. His party-men call today’s arrest as a preventive
measure for the rally to be held tomorrow.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1638

e. Arthur
Vardanyan Taken To Prosecutor General Office

[23.04.2004]

A U.S. citizen Arthur Vardanyan was taken to the Prosecutor General Office on
Thursday as witness on the case against the opposition Justice alliance.

Vardanyan is the Justice leader Stepan Demirchyan's friend, who was in Yerevan
and attended the opposition-staged rally.

As interrogation started he felt bad because a diabetic problem and was rushed
to a hospital.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1652

f. Seazure of Power by
Force a Plastic Bottle

[19.04.2004]

Edgar Arakelyan, a young man from Armenian town of Lusakert, who participated in
the peaceful demonstration the last week Monday and resisted police’s ominous
assault on innocent demonstrators by throwing a plastic bottle at armed
policeman, as it was shown on Armenian state-owned H1 TV, is charged with one
count of seizing power by force, Article 300, p.1 of the Criminal Code of the RA
(with a possible sentence for 10-15 years deprevation of liberty).

Procecutor’s Office says he has already pleaded guilty.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1637

g. Journalists Injured Addressed the General
Prosecutor

[22.04.2004]

On April 16 “Haikakan Zhamanak” daily published “The Notification on the Crime
Committed”, sent on the previous day, April 15, by the Chief Editor of the
publication Nikol Pashinian to the RA General Prosecutor Aghvan Hovsepian. The
letter tells about the beating of “Haikakan Zhamanak” correspondent Haik
Gevorgian during the opposition rally in the early morning of April 13 (see
details in YPC Weekly Newsletter, April 9-15, 2004). In the opinion of the
newspaper, the Deputy Head of RA Police Hovhannes Varian is guilty of committing
the crime.




http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1648

5. Freedom Of Assembly

Council Of Europe Body Rejects Armenian Bill On Rallies

[22.04.2004]

A Council of Europe body monitoring legislative reforms in the organization’s
member states has concluded that a controversial Armenian government bill on
rallies and other public gatherings fails to meet the European standards, it
emerged on Thursday.

Natalia Voutova, the Yerevan-based representative of the Council of Europe
secretary general, said the so-called Venice Commission has closely examined the
bill and believes that it runs counter to a key provision of the European
Convention on Human Rights signed by Armenia.

The findings of the commission were unveiled at a roundtable discussion on the
issue organized by the Yerevan office of the Organization for Security and
Cooperation in Europe. They were angrily denounced by Tigran Torosian, the
deputy speaker of the Armenian parliament and one of the key backers of the
legislation. Torosian accused the Venice Commission of making a politically
motivated decision.

“I find this unacceptable. This is a political position linked with this
situation,” he said, implying that the Council of Europe is siding with the
Armenian opposition in its standoff with the government.

Opposition leaders have repeatedly rejected the bill drafted by the Armenian
Justice Ministry, saying that it would unfairly restrict citizens’
constitutionally guaranteed freedom of assembly and is aimed at stifling their
campaign of street protests against President Robert Kocharian. Their concerns
are shared by some local non-governmental organizations.

“This is a law befitting an authoritarian system,” Avetik Ishkhanian of the
Armenian Helsinki Committee told the discussion.

Under the bill in question organizers of street protests will only have to
notify relevant authorities in advance, instead of seeking their permission as
is required by the existing government rules. However, law-enforcement
authorities would at the same time get sweeping powers to “forcibly discontinue”
demonstrations in case of “violations of the law.” That includes violent
incidents and calls for a “violent overthrow” of government.

The bill was rejected by the Venice Commission despite undergoing some changes
after its passage in the first reading by the parliament earlier this month. The
amended version was also criticized by Jeremy McBride, a senior expert from the
OSCE’s Warsaw-based Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

“Although the current draft is now much more acceptable, it continues to be
problematic in the approach taken to authorization/notification since there is
still no room for spontaneous mass events,” McBride said in a written analysis
circulated by the OSCE this week. He added that “there continues to be no sense
that this is a legitimate activity subject only to concerns about the
maintenance of public order.”

By Karine Kalantarian


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1650

International and Local Organizations about the Situation in Armenia



a. IHF Open Letter Regarding the Lack of Thorough and
Transparent Investigations in Armenia

[23.04.2004]

Dear Mr. President, dear Prosecutor General,

The International Helsinki Federation for Human Rights (IHF) and the Norwegian
Helsinki Committee (NHC) on 7 April wrote an open letter to you, asking to
ensure a prompt, thorough and transparent investigation into the brutal physical
attack on Mikael Danielyan, Chairman of the Armenian Helsinki Association,
perpetrated on 30 March 2004. We also said that there are indications that the
attackers might be connected to state structures, and that therefore also
representatives of the power structures should be questioned.

Now, more than two weeks later it appears that no investigation is taking place.
The investigating officer met Mr. Danielyan only twice and as Mr. Danielyan
could conclude from these talks, that the investigator never questioned anyone
else, not even those persons, whom Mr. Danielyan indicated as possible
witnesses. We also noted in our letter the lack of a thorough forensic
examination of Mr. Danielyan immediately after the attack. A medical forensic
expert for the first time met him only on April 14, after having been informed
about the incident on April 8.

Later on, on 13 April, the IHF also called for a full, independent investigation
of alleged broad violations of basic international civil and political human
rights norms by Armenian authorities in their efforts to thwart protests against
the government and the president. We suggested that such an investigation should
be done in cooperation with experts from the OSCE and Council of Europe, and
independent civil society monitors. We were also presenting evidence of
violations of freedom of assembly, of freedom of movement, of the freedom of the
media, and of the persecution of political dissenters that have occurred.

One of the particular concerns were attacks against Armenian journalists during
the demonstrations of 5 and 13 April. Despite the existence of a lot of evidence
about who the attackers were, the investigation seems to come to nothing, and it
seems as if the Armenian authorities are reluctant to disclose the identity of
the (known) perpetrators.

The IHF, the NHC and the Armenian Helsinki Association will be grateful for your
support for processes that will promote solutions to these problems that are
consistent with Armenians obligations under international human rights law and
the principles of the OSCE.

Sincerely,

Aaron Rhodes (Executive Director, IHF)

Bjørn Engesland (Secretary General, NHC)

Anna Hakobyan (Executive Director, Armenian Helsinki Association)

cc: Hina Jilani, UN Special Representative on Human Rights Defenders

Walter Schwimmer, Secretary General, Council of Europe

Bruno Haller, Secretary General, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe

Mr. Solomon Passy, Chairman-in-Office, OSCE

OSCE delegations, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1655



b. Wan and Wef Presidents Remind About the Duty of the
State

[22.04.2004]

On April 19 the Presidents of the World Association of Newspapers Seok Hyun Hong
and the World Editors Forum Gloria Brown Anderson addressed a statement to the
RA President Robert Kocharian. The letter voiced concern over the events of
April 5 and in the early morning of April 13 that resulted in violence towards
the journalists who were covering the situation (see details in YPC Weekly
Newsletter, April 2-8, 2004 and April 9-15, 2004).

The heads of the organizations uniting 18,000 publications of 100 countries ask
the Armenian President to ensure that a thorough investigation into the
incidents is conducted and to do everything possible for the journalists to
exercise their professional activities unimpeded.

"We respectfully remind you that it is the duty of the state to provide an
environment in which journalists are able to carry out their professional duties
without fear of intimidation. Such incidents foster a climate of fear that
inhibits journalistic investigation and can promote self-censorship”, the letter
by the heads of WAN and WEF stresses and a hope for the quickest possible
response of the Armenian President is expressed.

On April 16 the statement of Armenian Assembly of America was released, where
the need of a dialogue between the authorities and the opposition of Armenia is
emphasized. AAA also urges the Armenian authorizes to “take resolute steps to
protect journalists from interference and violence as they perform their
professional duties“.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1649

c. Statement of Center for Regional Development/
Transparency International Armenia

[23.04.2004]

Considering the unprecedented political persecutions, violence and arrests that
took place in the Republic of Armenia during the last weeks as a direct result
of political corruption manifested at the presidential and parliamentary
elections, Center for Regional Development/Transparency International Armenia


appeals to international community to condemn the above-mentioned actions
undertaken by the Armenian authorities violating democratic principles, and

calls to take real measures against the current authorities for not following
international obligations aimed at ensuring democratic development of the
country.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1653

d. RFE/RL President Calls For
Peaceful End To Armenian Crisis

[19.04.2004]

The president of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Thomas Dine, has ended a
two-day visit to Armenia with a call for a “non-violent” resolution of the
country’s festering political crisis.

While in Yerevan, Dine met separately with President Robert Kocharian, Foreign
Minister Vartan Oskanian, parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian and opposition
leaders Stepan Demirchian, Artashes Geghamian and Vazgen Manukian. The tense
situation in Armenia was a major theme of the meetings.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1636

e. Statement of Defense of
Liberated Territories Organization

[19.04.2004]

Defense of Liberated Territories organization issued a statement condemning
violence committed by the police against peaceful marchers saying those having
beaten their compatriots, women and the elderly can’t be considered men and
Armenians.

“We’d like to pay special attention to the fact of harassment of disabled Artak
Zaynalyan and former defense minister General-Lieutenant Vagharshak Harutyunyan.
We are convinced all the responsible for the action as well as direct
perpetrators won’t remain unpunished”, the statement says.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1635