Monitoring Of Prisons

[15.12.2004]

The human rights organization "Center for Civil Undertakings" founded in October
2002 has been monitoring the prison of Shushi and the remand prisonsince April
2003. The center sends reports on the monitoring to the Council of Europe, the
OSCE, the ICRC, the UN Supreme Commissar on Human Rights, the organizations
"Amnesty International" and "Penal Reform International", as well as
corresponding agencies in NKR. The director of the Center for Civil Undertakings
Albert Voskanian said, the center has recently received the permission of the
NKR authorities to monitor all the five regimes. On these days these five
regimes have been monitored.

According to Albert Voskanian, the physical and psychological health of the
inmates, human rights, hygiene conditions, foodand recreation are at a
satisfactory level. The Center of Civil Undertakings made a series of
suggestions on elimination of drawbacks. According to the press release of the
organization, the center approves of the abolition of capital punishment in NKR
and appeals to transfer the penitentiary institutions from the jurisdiction of
the police to the Ministry of Justice. Besides the monitoring the center gave
700 books gathered by volunteers to the prison of Shushi and the remand prison.
In April 2003 the center held the first regional seminarin Stepanakert devoted
to prison reforms. Besides, the center works with inmates who need psychological
rehabilitation.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1879

Human Rights and Environment

[16.12.2004]

On December 10, on the International Day of Human Rights in Yerevan the ceremony
of awarding monetary prizes to the winners of competition “Human Rights and
Environment” was held. The competition was administrated by the OSCE Office in
Yerevan jointly with the Public (Aarhus) Center of Environmental Information.


In the nomination “Print media” the first prize was awarded to Susanna
Shakhnazarian (“Ban ev Gorts”, Syunik region), the second - to Karineh Danielian
(“Azg”, Yerevan), the third - to Arthur Sakunts and Narineh Bulghadarian (“Civil
Initiative”, Vanadzor). Encouraging prizes in this nomination were conferred on
Anush Sargsian (“Loru Marz”, Lori region) and Sarah Petrosian (“Investigative
Journalists” public organization).

In the nomination “TV Journalism” the first prize was granted to Edik
Baghdasarian (“Versus” studio, Yerevan), the second - to Satenik Kaghzvantsian
(free-lance journalist, Shirak region), the third - to Valery Gasparian
(Armenian branch of “Mir” Interstate TV and Radio Company). Encouraging prizes
were also conferred on Nelly Danielian (“Yerkir-Media”, Yerevan) and Stella
Martirosian (“Shoghakat”, Yerevan).

Special prize was awarded to the film of Hrachia Papinian (“Ankyun+3”, Lori
region)


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1880

Citizenship: A Refugee - The Team Reporting Project of Armenian TV
Journalists

[16.12.2004]

On November 30 - December 11 in Armenia a team reporting project on refugees was
implemented by London-based Media Diversity Institute jointly with Yerevan Press
Club and Internews Armenia. The event was held under MDI South Caucasus program
“Minority Empowerment and Media Development”, supported by European Commission
and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands. The trainers involved in
the project were Nick Nugent (media consultant, United Kingdom), Harutiun
Mansurian (producer of Internews Armenia) and Elina Poghosbekian (Editor of YPC
Weekly Newsletter). Its participants comprised representatives of national,
Yerevan and regional TV companies.

During the first two days, November 30 and December 1, seminar “Covering
Diversity: How to Get a Visible Result” was held, during which the principles of
diversity in covering various minorities and socially vulnerable groups were
discussed by interactive communication. Its practical continuation was a film on
the problems of refugees in Armenia, based on stories prepared by the TV
journalists, participating in the team reporting project. On December 11 this
28-minute long film, titled “Citizenship: a Refugee” was demonstrated and
discussed. The film is expected to be soon aired by various TV channels of the
country.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1881

Presentation of the Practical Guide to Humanitarian Law in Russia,
Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan (June – December 2004)

[17.12.2004]

In 1999, Médecins Sans Frontières published the Practical Guide to Humanitarian
Law


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10 Jehovah's Witnesses Go On Alternative Service

[20.12.2004]

10 Jehovah's Witnesses went on alternative service as sanitarians in the autumn,
says the chief of the PR department of Armenia's labor ministry Hasmik
Khachatryan.

7 of them will serve in a boarding school in Vardenis, 1 in Nork. 10 youths went
on alternative service in the spring. So a total of 20 Jehovah's Witnesses have
so far gone on alternative e service.


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70% Is Against Sending A Military Group To Iraq

[21.12.2004]

Do you agree that Armenia sends a 50-men group to Iraq for participation in
reconstruction there? Armenian Centre for National and International Studies /ACNIS/
held a survey on this. 24% of 100 experts who partook in it answered “Yes”, 67%
said “No” and 9% found difficulty in answering.

70,5% of citizens partaking the poll said “No”. Only 15,6% agreed to the idea
and 13,9% were at a loss for answering.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1883

The Present Education System of Armenia Is In a Sad State

[21.12.2004]

”The present education system of Armenia is in a sad state”. 81% of experts and
47% of citizens who partook in the survey conducted by Armenian Centre for
National and International Studies /ACNIS/ concluded.


http://new.csi.am/eng/index1.php?goto=news&id=1884